Also see Corals and Gorgonians. A number of cup corals look like small anemones or groups of anemones. Actinostella BradleyiActinostella bradleyi Aggregating AnemoneAnthopleura elegantissima
Found in shallower water than the green anemone. Densely packed, and smaller than the green anemone.
These fluoresce under blue light: Burrowing AnemoneHalcampa decemtentaculata
Its scientific name means "ten-tentacled".
Club-Tipped Anemone(aka Strawberry Anemone)
Corynactis californica
Body color varies from pink to orange. The little lumps on the sides of their tentacles are bunches of nematocysts, the stinging cells anemones use to catch prey:
Sometimes there will be different colonies next to each other:
(1: Monterey State Beach, Monterey / 2: Sea Landing Cove, Santa Barbara Island)
These fluoresce in a wide variety of colors under blue light: (1-5: Monterey State Beach, Monterey / 6-8: San Carlos Beach, Monterey) Cryptic Burrowing AnemoneHalcampa crypta
Urticina piscivora
(1-4,6-7: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 5: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 8: Monastery Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea)
This one is pulled back in: Close up of tubercles on side of stalk: Close up of center: Ghost AnemoneDiadumene leucolena
Giant Green AnemoneAnthopleura xanthogrammica
(1,4: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 2,5-6: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 3,8: Monterey State Beach, Monterey / 7: Monastery Beach, Carmel-By-The-Sea)
These fluoresce under blue light: Green AnemoneAnthopleura sola
(1-2,8: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 3-6: Monterey State Beach, Monterey / 7: Sea Landing Cove, Santa Barbara Island)
The tentacles can sometimes have pink tips. These are solitary, like the giant green anemone, but unlike the aggregating anemone.
Most of the anemone is below the surface. They attach to rocks under the sand:
These glow brilliantly under blue or UV light: |