Aquatic Animal Day

My shot from the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz. I've always been intrigued by sea anemone but never quite sure of what's going on, so that's our direction today. While they largely stay in one place, they are predatory. Their tentacles contain nematocysts, or stinging cells, that paralyze prey. The venom is harmless to humans though. And you may know that clownfish are able to withstand these stings so they like to hang out for protection and they clean the anemones of parasites. My shot from Mattole, Pacific Coast. The giant green anemone is intertidal, seen here in a tide pool. They feed on crabs, mussels, small fishes, and sea urchins. We did see it try to grab something it thought might be food. And we saw what it would've liked on the shore nearby.