We often mistake sea anemones for plants, but in fact, they belong to the animal kingdom. Sea anemones are a group of predatory marine invertebrates belonging to the order Anemones. The characteristic of sea anemone is that it has soft and beautiful petal-like tentacles around its mouth, which are as vibrant as a sunflower, hence the name sea anemone. So among the many species, which one is considered the most beautiful? Today I introduce to you the ten most beautiful anemones, including princess anemone, North American strawberry anemone, American anemone, cherry blossom anemone, purple spot anemone, cherry bud anemone, chrysanthemum anemone and so on. Let's enjoy these charming sea anemones together.
1. Princess anemone
The magnificent double-spoke sea anemone, also known as the princess sea anemone, is one of the treasures among sea anemone species. Its body color is bright and colorful, from emerald green to brown green, from white to sky blue, purple, etc., showing a brilliant and colorful light. The tentacles of this sea anemone are often yellow or yellow-green. When in danger or unable to adapt to the environment, all tentacles will curl into leaf-like shapes. The shape is very charming, especially when the clown fish is nestled next to it, it looks even more cute. Although the princess anemone looks like a plant flower, it is actually a predatory animal and a beautiful trap in the ocean.
2. North American strawberry anemone
Considered one of the most gorgeous anemones in the world, the North American strawberry anemone is a unique and exquisite large sea anemone. It can reach 10 cm in diameter and 15 cm in length. It has strange flesh-like protrusions, mainly red in color, and its surface is covered with smooth red cylinders dotted with bright white spots that are arranged in straight lines. The North American strawberry anemone does not usually attract gravel or shell fragments, and has no stinging tentacles protruding from the body wall. The oral disk is a plain red, and the tentacles are red cones with no transverse stripes.
3. American anemone
Among sea anemone species, the American sea anemone is one of the most popular. This is a unique and beautiful species that lives in coral reefs along the coast of the United States. It has a wide variety and varied colors, including white, yellow, pink and other colors, and its tentacles are purple. The color of these anemones changes in response to changes in light and single-celled symbiotic algae. Generally, it can be divided into two major species: one has 70 to 192 tentacles and likes to live in sea areas with a water depth of more than 5 meters, especially in rock crevices covered with sea urchins and large amounts of algae; the other has 384 tentacles , commonly found in coral reef areas with a water depth of 30 meters. These anemones have a very wide growth rate and range.
4. Sakura anemone
The cherry blossom anemone is considered one of the most charming anemone species, with a cylindrical shape that does not exceed 5 cm in height but can stretch up to 15 cm. Its body color varies between green and red, usually in a hemispherical shape, and its mouth is red, green or yellow, which is very beautiful. Sakura anemones have many hollow tentacles that are short and bushy with bright red, bright green or milky white tips. They prefer to grow alone and keep a distance of at least 20 centimeters from other anemones. They can live together with shrimps, sea urchins, etc.
5. Purple-spotted sea anemone
Which anemone species is the prettiest? I personally think the purple-spotted anemone is a good choice. This species is usually found along the Mediterranean coast in waters with a depth of 30 to 50 meters. It shows a bright appearance with orange discs on its feet and dotted with small red spots. The body of the purple-spotted sea anemone is yellow, and its tentacles are short and thick, with about 48 tentacles; there are small purple flesh-like protrusions on the top of the tentacles. Their colors are brilliant in clear water, but appear dull when the water is turbid. This anemone likes to grow alone on soft substrate.
6. Sakuraleaf anemone
The nipple anemone, also known as the cherry bud anemone, is a very beautiful anemone species. This anemone has bubble-shaped, spherical or pear-shaped tentacle tips, and its body color varies between light pink, orange and white. It is distributed in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Red Sea and Samoa Islands. The anemone exists alone, has no bones, and is rich in flesh. It is named because its shape resembles a nipple. It has a mouth in the center of the mouth plate and is surrounded by tentacles, with the number ranging from a dozen to dozens. The sea anemone itself is transparent or translucent, and its brilliant colors come from the symbiotic algae within its body.
7. Chrysanthemum anemone
The chrysanthemum anemone is one of the most beautiful species of anemone and grows along the Caribbean and western Atlantic coasts. It has bright and abundant tentacles, about 10 centimeters long. It usually fixes itself on the rock formations on the seabed, taking on the shape of a bubble-like rounded pointed ball. The color of the chrysanthemum anemone's tentacles gradually changes from green to white to light blue. The tips of the tentacles may appear purple, purple-red or yellow, and the cnidocytes may also have obvious spots or patterns.
8. Colorful Carpet Anemone
Colorful carpet anemones are distributed in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They usually grow alone on coral reefs or soft seabed, parasitic and symbiotic with other organisms and shrimps. This anemone has a variety of body colors, which may appear in green, gray, brown, blue, purple, pink or fluorescent orange-red. There are obvious folds around the mouth plate and extending outward from the mouth plate. It has ribbon-like radiating stripes, extremely short tentacles, and takes on the shape of wart-like protrusions, like a colorful undersea carpet.
9. Fist anemone
The fist anemone is a unique species of sea anemone in the ocean world. It is widely distributed in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Red Sea and shallow coral reef areas between the Samoa Islands. It grows and reproduces in sea areas with a water depth of no more than 40 meters. Their tentacles are uniquely designed with a bubble-shaped top that resembles a fist, hence the name fist anemone. Due to its beautiful and unique appearance and relatively simple maintenance, the fist anemone has become one of the most common anemone species in home aquariums.
10. Hawaiian anemone
Hawaiian anemones usually grow in the waters of the eastern Pacific, especially in the waters around the Hawaiian Islands where the water depth is about 2 to 20 meters. Their bodies are cylindrical, and they rely on strong suction cups at the bottom to firmly adhere to rocks, silt, and even shells and crab shells on the seabed. They can remain firm even if they are hit by waves. The Hawaiian anemone looks like a white flower with bright and eye-catching colors. It is similar to the purple-spotted anemone, but its tentacles are short and full. Sometimes hermit crabs carry them on their backs to use as camouflage.
The top ten most beautiful sea anemones are mainly recommended based on the animal appearance evaluation/famousness and comprehensive reference to relevant Internet rankings/lists. If you have any questions, please leave comments/criticisms at the end.
animal tags: actinia