Photographssourcedfrom: Florent’sGuidetotheFlorida,Bahamas,andCaribbeanReefs

ALL ABOUT ANEMONES

A GUIDE BY ALEXANDRA COLOMBARA

TABLE OF CONTENTS About Anemones ............................................................................................................................................. 1

Identifying Anemone and Shrimp Species ..................................................................................... 2

Anemone Photos and Scientific Names ........................................................................................ 3

Shrimp Photos and Scientific Names ............................................................................................ 4

Ecology and Ocean Conservation .................................................................................................... 5

ECOLOGY AND OCEAN CONSERVATION What do sea anemones do for the ocean environment? In a coral reef community sea anemones have an important role, or ecological niche. Many anemone species act as homes for other reef animals such as clownfish that live in the anemone’s tentacles to gain protection from predators. In exchange for the home, the anemone gets small food particles leftover from the fish’s meals so that both organisms benefit. This relationship is called a mutualism. Anemones can also act as homes to small shrimp that use the anemone as a base station for cleaning parasites off of reef fish, which leads to larger and healthier fish populations. What threatens the biodiversity of the oceans? Oceans are at risk from many factors including overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. Many of these problems are due to anthropogenic, or human-caused, activities. What can you do to help? There are many ways that you can help the environment and protect the ocean and all of the cool organisms that live in it by: cleaning up a beach, buying sustainable seafood at the grocery store, using less plastic, and reducing greenhouse gases by riding your bike. To keep our oceans healthy and happy we all need to do our part!

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PHOTOS AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES

Squat Anemone Shrimp-Thor Amboinensis Peppermint Shrimp- Lysmata wurdemanni

Sun Anemone Shrimp- Periclimenes rathbunae Spotted Cleaner Shrimp – Periclimenes yucatanicus

Pederson’s Cleaner Shrimp- Ancylomenes pedersoni

ABOUT ANEMONES What are sea anemones?

Sea anemones may look a little bit like a flower but they are actually animals! Anemones are able to capture food like zooplankton from the seawater around them. They use their long stinging tentacles to

stick to tiny bits of food and move it towards their mouth inside the ring of tentacles. They are invertebrates, meaning that they have no skeleton, only soft bodies and are close family members to corals that build reefs throughout the ocean. Where can anemones be found? There are more than 1,000 species of sea anemones that can be found in the oceans all over the world, from shallow tropical waters to the deep sea at more than 5,000 feet. What kind of animals live with them?

Many animals can be found living in or around an anemone’s tentacles such as small crabs and shrimp, and in the Pacific Ocean even clownfish like Nemo!

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IDENTIFYING ANEMONES AND SHRIMP In the Caribbean Sea there are a number of large sea anemones that can be easily found and their species identified. These sea anemones commonly live in sandy bottoms of shallow water, on or around docks, or on coral reefs. Often, tiny shrimp can also be seen living among the anemone’s tentacles if you look closely! Use this key to identify any shrimp or crab species that you might find in the ocean.

PHOTOS AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES

Rosetip Anemone- Condylactis gigantea Sun Anemone- Stichodactyla helianthus

Branching Anemone- Lebrunia danae Knobby Anemone- Rhodactis lucida

Corkscrew Anemone- Bartholomea annulata

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