Home Topics Wildlife The wandering sea anemone is the tumbleweed of the ocean

The wandering sea anemone is the tumbleweed of the ocean

Image credit: Richard Ling

THERE ARE so many whacky things that wash up on Australian shores, but the wandering sea anemone has to be one of the weirdest.

It feels a lot like a glob of jelly and looks like a ball of baked beans, depending on what colour you come across. 

Here’s a video so you get the idea:

(Video credit: Angela Heathcote)

Unlike other anemones that like to station themselves securely to reefs, this anemone wanders the ocean like an underwater tumbleweed.

These sea anemones are most active at night, when they unfurl from their spherical form into a tube shape with their stinging tentacles facing out, catching what food it can.

Their colourful nicknames – from marshmallow anemone to the brain anemone – will make a lot of sense after seeing these images:

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