Snakelocks Anemone

Lets take a look at another animal without a face today (though they do have mouths, in the middle hidden beneath those tentacles which they push food towards, no eyes though)

The snakelocks anemone or Anemonia viridis in the Latin. I like how the genus name gives away that it's an anemone. Not many species are so considerate.

You can think of anemones as upside down jellyfish. That's what I do. Upsidedown stuck on jellyfish. They stick themselves down to a hard surface using their suction cup like oral discs, like these guys have chosen the rock. They can move, they can shuffle about, and even jump! Now my favourite anemone fact has to do with them shuffling. So an anemone, shuffles on some rock and oops, it's left a part of itself behind that's still stuck, it shuffles on leaving that little bit of tissue. This little bit of tissue can grow into a new anemone! AMAZING! This is called pedal laceration and is a form of asexual reproduction.

So, like Jellyfish these guys can sting. They have stinging cells called nematocysts. (More about these when I talk about some other anemones we have). Now, typically we shouldn't worry about British Anemones and their sting, but if you see these ones on the beach I wouldn't recommend touching them. Look out for flowy tentacles, other anemones have a body wall which they can contract their tentacles into and end up looking like a blob. These don't contract, it's all just tentacles. I say don't touch because from personal experience these can leave you with a nasty rash. It's a bit like being stung by nettles, it's not going to kill you but it's not a pleasant experience either, best to just avoid it if you can.

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