SAND-ROSE ANEMONE (Urticina columbiana)
Habitat: Sandy bottom areas from British Columbia to Baja California.
Size: 35 cm (14 in) in diameter
Position in food web: Carnivorous suspension
feeder: Feeds on organic particles, plankton, small fish and invertebrates. Prey for predatory sea stars.
Interesting facts:
Sand-rose anemones, like many other anemones and corals, are host to symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae. The anemone acts as a habitat for the algae and the anemone gains nutrition via photosynthesis.
Like other cnidarians, the sand-rose anemone’s tentacles are covered with stinging cells called nematocysts. The sting of the sand-rose anemone is fairly weak to humans and feels sticky rather than painful.
Relatives: sea jellies, corals, and gorgonians