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Fish-Eating Anemone
Urticina piscivora
The Fish-Eating Anemone is featured with a reddish-orange column topped by an oral disc that is surrounded by short tentacles that are equipped with stinging cells called nematocysts. Each nematocyst contains a barbed, coiled thread that injects the venom used to paralyze and kill prey. The tentacles then turn inward, passing the food to the mouth in the center of the oral disc. The anemone also has a sticky foot at the base of the column which it uses to adhere to substrate and move around. Their size typically ranges from 8-10 inches.
Range & Habitat
Fish-Eating Anemone are found in the cool waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to California. They are commonly found on rocks from the low intertidal zone to 160 feet deep.
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated
Although they have not been evaluated; sea anemone populations can be affected by commercial fishing methods which damages habitats and pollutes the water. Other threats are consequences of coastal development and global climate change, warming water temperatures.
Diet
Consists of shrimp, invertebrates, and small fish that it captures with its tentacles.
Life Span
In the Wild: 60-80 years
In Human Care: 60+ years
In Human Care: 60+ years
Fun Facts about the Fish-Eating Anemone
- When being harassed by predators they inflate themselves, detach, and move along with the current.
- The Fish-Eating Anemone grows larger when there is a good food supply and shrinks when food is scarce.
- Anything substance the anemone's body cannot digest is thus ejected back out through the mouth.
Sources
Aquarium of the Pacific. (Ed.) (2021). Fish-Eating Anemone. Retrieved May 27, 2021 from https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/fish_eating_anemone
Georgia Aquarium. (Ed.) (2021). Fish-Eating Anemone. Retrieved May 27, 2021 from https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/animal/fish-eating-anemone-2/
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. (Ed.) (2020). Fish-Eating Anemone. Retrieved May 27, 2021 from https://marinesanctuary.org/blog/sea-wonder-fish-eating-anemone/
Updated June 13, 2023
Location:
USS Antiquities Cave
