When you think of sea anemones, what first pops into your mind? Perhaps, you might think about clownfish, which are famous for making their homes among sea anemones’ deadly, stinging tentacles.
But, in addition to acting as homes for clownfish, sea anemones are often considered sedentary creatures that spend their entire lives rooted in the same spot on the seafloor. This could not be further from the truth.
In a surprising twist, some species of sea anemones are capable of uprooting themselves and swimming away to flee predators. In the waters off the west coast of North America, when a leather sea star so much as touches the sea anemone species known as Stomphia coccinea, the sea anemone automatically detaches from the seafloor and flexes its column to escape.
These anemones might not be able to travel quickly, but since they are fleeing voracious (but slow-moving) sea stars, their escape tactics are highly effective.
Yet, this begs the question: how can such a creature know when to run when it has no eyes? Well, the response is triggered by touch, rather than sight. The mechanics behind the response involve a slow conduction system, which is separate from the rest of the anemone’s nerve systems.
Below are a couple examples of Stomphia coccinea’s unusual behavior. In both videos, the Stomphia coccinea anemones flee from leather sea stars, and you will clearly see the swimming reaction triggered by the sea star’s touch.
Here’s the first video:
And here’s the second one:
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