GIANT CARPET ANEMONE

Looks like a clam, but isn’t. This is the Giant Carpet Anemone or Stichodactyla Gigantea that can grow up to 3 feet in diameter. I found this beauty while snorkeling in the underwater grassy knolls of Lago de Oro in Calatagan batangas. Lago offers balsa packages and what most Filipinos don’t know is that the manongs bring them near the coral areas of Calatagan Batangas.

These carpet anemones are known to be stinging animals like some corals and jellyfishes. This one can house a lot of clown fishes who attracts food for the anemone and in turn gets protected from predators. Their beautiful filaments called acontia that assist in subduing the prey and digestion.

The mouth is where food, they cannot digest like snail shells, are eliminated. They are usually attached to the sea bed and their wall like septa have chambers that serve as their digestive cavity. They are good at photosynthesis and have lived since the beginning of time.

Another quick note to remember, they are half plants half animals, cos they are closely related to jellyfishes but have a closer composition to plants like their filaments and nettles.