Coastal Anemones

Anemones belong to Phylum Cnidaria. Several species of anemones have been observed at coastal communities like Southern Hydrate Ridge, Slope Base and the Oregon Offshore site.

Pom-Pom Anemone (Liponema brevicornisPom-Pom Anemone

The Pom-Pom Anemone actually looks like a pom-pom. It has a circular or oblong shaped body and is covered with many short tentacles shaped in a whorl formation.  The anemone does not attach to any substrate, and it has the ability to roll along the sea floor like tumbleweed because ocean currents propel it. The Pom-Pom Anemone’s diet usually consists of plankton, krill, small crustaceans, and other organic particles; it is also a predator and a scavenger. The anemone ranges from 25 cm to 30 cm in diameter and can be found in deep water near hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, and whale carcasses. This anemone was found near Southern Hydrate Ridge at about 773 m.

References:
https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animal-guide/invertebrates/pom-pom-anemone
http://www.shapeoflife.org/news/three-cheers-pom-pom-anemone
Marine Life Field Guide (Neptune Canada)
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Mushroom Anemone (Corallimorphus sp.Mushroom Anemone

The corallimorph anemone or mushroom anemones are similar to sea anemones. They lack a calcareous skeleton but also lack the long feeding tentacles that a sea anemone has. They often have a flattened oral disc with a smooth, bumpy, or fuzzy appearance.  Mushroom corals have symbiotic zooxanthellae in their tissues. They come in a wide variety of colors and can be solid, spotted, or striped. Its size varies with species. Neptune Canada’s guide included it in the “sea anemone” category because of similarity, but it belongs to another order: Corallimorpharia. This Corallimorph anemone was spotted on the seafloor at Southern Hydrate Ridge at a depth of 774 m.

References:
www.animal-world.org
Marine Life Field Guide, Neptune Canada _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Venus Flytrap Anemone (Actinoscyphia sp.Venus Flytrap Anemone


The Venus Flytrap Anemone resembles the carnivorous plant found on land. It is a member of the family “Actinoscyphiidae”, but it is unknown as to how many species there are. They can be found in every ocean basin attached to a variety of hard substrates on the seafloor. This anemone waits for food to drift into its tentacles lined with nematocysts. The Marine Life Field Guide contained an entry on a Venus Flytrap Anemone, but was unable to identify its genus and species. It says that it is a member of Hormathiidae, which is a family of sea anemones in the class Anthozoa. However, this picture in the Guide looked different from the species that we found. This anemone was seen at Slope Base at a depth of 2900 m rooted in the sediment on the seafloor. The anemone’s size varies greatly as it depends on its age and available food supply. It was only seen twice in one dive. They do not appear to be very common.

References:
Marine Life Field Guide (Neptune Canada)
http://deepseanews.com/2008/10/the-27-best-deep-sea-species-18-venus-fly-trap-anemone/
http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-photos/venus-fly-trap-anemone-gulf-mexico

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Giant White-Plumed Anemone (Metridium giganteumGiant White Plumed Anemone

This anemone’s color can vary from white, to red-orange, and brown. They can be up to 1 m long when extended and said to be the world’s tallest polyp. They range from Alaska to California and are especially common in the Puget sound, San Juan Islands, and the Strait of Georgia. This anemone was found attached to a platform interface assembly at the Oregon offshore site at about 195 m in depth.
References: https://inverts.wallawalla.edu/Cnidaria/Class-Anthozoa/Subclass_Zoantharia/Order_Actiniaria/Metridium_giganteum.html
https://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/academic-resources/slater-museum/exhibits/marine-panel/plumose-anemone/

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Unknown Deep Sea Anemone Unknown Deep Sea Anemone

Anemones can range from 1.25 cm to 1.8 m. This anemone looked to be about 10 cm in diameter. The anemone we found was purple in color and only had tentacles on the top around its oral disc, it was unable to be properly identified. This anemone was found on a rock at a depth of 775 m at Southern Hydrate Ridge.