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| sea anemones text index | photo index |
| Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Zoantharia/Hexacorallia > Order Actiniaria |
| Swimming
anemone Boloceroides mcmurrichi Family Boloceroididae updated Feb 09
Where seen? Looking like an untidy mop, this anemone is sometimes seen in seagrass areas on many of our shores. It is possibly seasonal. Sometimes, large numbers are seen (up to 10-20 animals in a trip) and then none at all. Features: Diameter with tentacles extended 5-8cm. The tentacles (3-4cm long) are thick at the base, tapering to slender tips. There are LOTS of tentacles (commonly more than 400). These hide the small oral disk and the mouth, which is on a cone. Some have a white band on the oral disk across the mouth. Sometimes, two of the tentacles near the mouth are prominently lighter. The tentacles are generally shades of brown with bands in darker brown or yellow. It has a short body column and a small pedal disk which is not very sticky. It's scientific name is pronounced 'boll-loy-sir-roy-dee-des mac-moor-ree-eye'. Does it really swim? Yes it can swim slowly by undulating its many tentacles in a coordinated manner. At low tide, these anemones are often seen loosely attached to seaweeds, or just lying freely on the ground. They are rarely seen swimming about. Possibly they are more active at high tide. Please don't pick up the sea anemone to force it to swim. Its sticky tentacles will come off in your hand and you may hurt the sea anemone. Losing it: The swimming anemone can purposely drop of its tentacles if it is threatened. The dropped tentacle can wriggle, probably to distract the predator. This dropped tentacle can regenerate into a new swimming anemone after some time. However, almost no other sea anemone does this. So please don't cut an anemone into half hoping to get two anemones. You will instead get no anemone. What does it eat? The swimming anemone harbours symbiotic single-celled algae (called zooxanthallae). The algae undergo photosynthesis to produce food from sunlight. The food produced is shared with the sea anemone, which in return provides the algae with shelter and minerals. |
 Pulau Sekudu, Jun 06  Sometimes with white band next to the mouth and two paler tentacles.  Mouth is on a cone in the centre. |
These animals are everywhere on the shore. Don't step
on them!
 Changi, Apr 10 |
 Short body column and small pedal disk. |
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Swimming sea anemones on Singapore shores
 Chek Jawa, Aug 05  |
 Chek Jawa, Aug 05  |
 Chek Jawa, Jun 06  |
video clips and more photos of swimming anemones on Singapore shores
northern shores part 1 | part 2
southern shores part 3
Links
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IKAN-Unterwasserachiv, Frankfurt. 305 pp.|
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