giant green anemone, originally uploaded by bphall.

I am often curious about the struggle, and harshness of nature. Amazing, beautiful creatures use countless strategies to obtain food, and keep from becoming a predator’s prey. Anemones use stinging cells within their tentacles to paralyze prey, but do not bother humans. Anemones prey on mussels, sea urchins, small fish, and crabs. Once paralyzed, the anemone pulls its prey into its mouth, digests the food, then excretes waste from the same opening. These rugged creatures can live to more than 80 years. Anemones generally live attached to the rocky intertidal zone near shore. Spend a day at the beach watching the tide go in and out. You’ll soon notice waves crashing on the rocks with these tough creatures glued to the reef, attempting to find stasis during dry, hot periods of low tide, then you’ll see them pounded by high surf, and high tide. While taking this photo, I imagined I was a tiny creature stung by the poison dart like tentacle of this amazing creature, then I gently touched the animal, and pressed the shutter as the anemone began to quickly close. Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach, CA