Cnidaria · cnidarians

Giant green anemone

Anthopleura xanthogrammica

Actiniidae · common anemonesIUCN: Not evaluated
Giant green anemone
Photo: Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized

A large green anemone of Pacific tide pools. Algae living in its tissues add to its color.

Fun factIt feeds on mussels and urchins that waves knock loose from the rocks.

Waters
North Pacific, Eastern Pacific
Depth zone
Intertidal shore, Coastal shallows & estuaries
Diet
Mussels, urchins & small animals
Size
Up to 30 cm across

Classification

Cnidaria › Anthozoa › Actiniaria › Actiniidae

  1. Kingdom Animalia animals
    • Many-celled organisms that eat other living things for energy (heterotrophs)
    • Cells have no cell walls
    • Most can move at some stage of life
  2. Phylum Cnidaria cnidarians
    • Radially symmetric bodies with one opening that is both mouth and anus
    • Stinging cells (cnidocytes) fire tiny harpoons (nematocysts)
    • Two body forms: an attached polyp and a swimming bell (medusa)
  3. Class Anthozoa corals & anemones
    • Live only as polyps; there is no swimming jellyfish stage
    • Gut is divided by internal walls (mesenteries)
    • Includes corals and sea anemones
  4. Subclass Hexacorallia stony corals & anemones
    • Tentacles and internal walls come in multiples of six
    • Includes stony corals and sea anemones
  5. Order Actiniaria sea anemones
    • Sea anemones: single, soft-bodied polyps without a skeleton
    • Grip surfaces with a muscular base (pedal disc) and can slowly move
    • Catch prey with a ring of stinging tentacles around the mouth
  6. Family Actiniidae common anemones
    • The largest anemone family, common on rocky shores
    • Usually stout with short, thick tentacles
  7. Genus Anthopleura
    • Species in the same genus are very close relatives and often look alike.
  8. Species Anthopleura xanthogrammica Giant green anemone

Closest relatives in the guide