Friday, January 06, 2006

Spawning Anemone


While diving at Sandy Bottom last night, I came upon a spawning carpet anemone which I believe to be a Hadden's Sea Anemone (Stichodactyla haddoni). The Hadden's is a large anemone (this one only about 50cm), usually found on sandy slopes, with folds at its edge and short, tightly-packed tentacles. Tentacle color is usually green or brown, but sometimes variegated. It has a whitish column with "non-adhesive verrucae" (look that up) in the same color or pinkish.