Christmas Anemone

Description:

"The Christmas Anemone is so called because of its dark green body with red striations that run vertically along the column toward the head. Like other anemones, this species can unfurl or retract its tentacles as needed. The tips of the tentacles are also banded in green and red, although the colors are more muted. This is a moderate sized anemone with the column reaching a maximum diameter of only 3 inches (7.6 cm) with a ten inch (25 cm) crown. Like all anemones, the Christmas Anemones’s oral disk is surrounded by venomous cells called nematocysts which are used to subdue prey or ward off predators. This anemone is a common food source for nudibranchs, sea stars and a variety of snails."

Habitat:

"Christmas Anemones can be spotted in tide pools at low tide all along the Oregon Coast. They are common to bays, harbors and seawalls as far north as Alaska. "

Notes:

Common name(s): Christmas anemone, Painted Urticina, Painted Tealia, Painted anemone, Red and green anemone, Northern red anemone, Dahlia anemone, Mottled anemone, Thick-petaled rose anemone