Animal Kingdom

Jellyfish Phylum: The beadlet anemone

The beadlet anemone is a common sea anemone along the coasts of Europe. It lives on rocks low down the sea shore. It grows to about 7 cm high and its mouth can be surrounded by 200 stinging tentacles. When it is uncovered at low tide it pulls in its tentacles and it looks like a lump of red jelly attached to a rock. When the tide comes back in again it extends and it starts to feed again on small animals which drift too close to the deadly tentacles.

• Close Window

© Paul Billiet, Shirley Burchill, Alan Damon and Deborah James 2009