Strawberry anemone
It really is starting to feel a bit more like autumn now. The weather has turned and the day length is decreasing gradually as the month progresses, but I love these colder days and much prefer a winter’s day on the beach than a summer one in the UK, which might seem odd to some. The crashing waves and bad weather uncover looking-glasses to the past, like fossils and exposed cliffs after a cliff-slide, especially on the Jurassic Coast, which I live close to. I cherish the isolated, wild and rugged beaches that don’t entice the sunseekers, making them quieter and cleaner, but they are littered with rockpools and caves, which I find as fascinating now as I did as a child.
There is nothing quite like finding seashore treasure like ammonites, pretty shells and mermaid purses, but it’s always a good day when you find spot a stunningly bright strawberry anemone glistening in a pool or attached to a rock in a cave on a gloomy-grey day!
Being married to a fellow ecologist and having a daughter who loves the outdoors as much as us, days out are rarely far from nature. One particular winter’s day on the coast sticks in my memory when my husband pointed out the largest strawberry anemone (Actinia fragacea) I have ever seen, down on the coast at Lynmouth when the tide was far out and the rockpools were full of water and brimming with life.
What does it look like?
The strawberry anemone is a large native anemone that is found on rocky shores all around the UK, and is so called because of its stout red body (column), which ranges from bright postbox red to deep brown crimson, with small green spots which make it look rather like a strawberry, especially when their thick tentacles, which are packed with sticking cells called nematocysts, are retracted when they are disturbed or at low tide.
Packs a punch
These chunky anemone are up to 10cm in diameter and are highly territorial. They defend their patch from other anemones and predators, using their ring of beads beneath their tentacles called acrorhagithat, which are packed full of stinging cells to fight them off. They also use their stinging tentacles to catch their prey, but don’t worry – it is only a mild sting to us humans!
Do not be fooled!
The strawberry anemone might be confused with a similar and well known beadlet anemone, but the strawberry anemone is larger and has obvious green spots.
Did you know?
They can detach themselves and move if conditions change. When they do, they are restricted to a speed of between 7.5 and 10cm an hour!
Reproduction
Reproduction in the strawberry anemone occurs both sexually and asexually. During sexual reproduction, it releases eggs and sperm into the water, where fertilisation happens externally. Additionally, asexual reproduction can occur through a process called pedal laceration, where new anemones form from fragments of the parent’s base, leading to rapid population growth under favourable conditions.
Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time!
When rockpooling, it is really important that when you lift a stone that you replace it in the same place with great care not to crush anything. Don’t purposely knock any species off stones, and if they are large enough to swim in make sure you are careful and return anything that you have removed to have a closer look at.
But most of all, have lots of fun, channel your child-like wonderment in nature, and encourage the younger generation to get involved to have a look and learn. But make sure you check the tides!
Megan Lock
Advisory
Photo credit: Nilfanion