Carpet
anemone
Stichodactyla sp.
What do carpet anemones eat? Carpet anemones usually feed
on fine particles that are trapped on their bodies. However, they
also swallow any large animal that blunders into and gets stuck in
their tentacles. Some large creatures that are eaten by carpet anemones
include fishes and crabs.
Carpet of Death: Why are there
so many Carpet anemones on the hot, dry sand bar when they could be
in the cool pools instead? On Chek Jawa, the sand bar is the first
to emerge at low tide and the last to submerge as the tide comes in.
As fishes and other animals enter the lagoon with the incoming tide,
or leave with the outgoing tide, they have to negotiate this minefield
of anemones. Some unlucky creatures might blunder into a Carpet anemone.
Carpet anemones on the sand bar may thus have a better chance of a
meal.
Should I ‘save’ animals trapped in a carpet
anemone? If you do, you will be depriving the anemone of
a meal. It might not get so lucky again for a while. The animal that
you 'saved' might also not survive if it was badly stung by the carpet
anemone.
Should I feed the anemones? Please
don’t. Carpet anemones know how to feed themselves. You might hurt
the anemone if you put the wrong thing on it. If you put another living
animal on an anemone you will be hurting two animals. Please don't
put objects such as litter or dead crabs on a carpet anemone either.
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Here
are some of the creatures that carpet anemones have been seen swallowing...
Big fish
Small fishes
Crabs
Pufferfish
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