Sea Anemone

ocean · predator · stinging creature · invertebrate

Named after flowers. Sea anemones got their name because their colorful tentacles look like the petals of an anemone flower on land. Scientists thought the resemblance was so striking that they gave these ocean animals the same name as the pretty plant.

They are stationary hunters. Unlike jellyfish that drift around the ocean, sea anemones stay attached to rocks, coral, and the seafloor their whole lives. They sit in one spot and use their tentacles to grab any small fish or creatures that swim too close.

Built-in stinging weapons. Sea anemones belong to a group of animals called cnidarians that have special stinging cells in their tentacles. These cells shoot out tiny harpoons loaded with venom to paralyze their prey so they can eat it.

Related ocean family. Sea anemones are cousins to jellyfish, corals, and tiny creatures called hydra. They all share the same stinging superpower because they're all in the cnidarian family.

Simple but different life cycle. While jellyfish have two different forms in their lifetime, sea anemones only have one main form. Once they settle down as babies, they keep the same body shape for the rest of their lives.