Moonglow Anemone (Anthopleura artemisia)

Description: Moonglow anemones look a little different than their other commonly found relatives like the giant green or aggregating anemone; their columns—the cylinder base of the anemone—are buried under sand and their thin tentacles are striped with white bands. These anemones come in many different colors, typically green or brown but sometimes a vibrant pink or orange.

Habitat: Similar to the giant green anemone, moonglow anemones prefer to live in solitude where they aren’t crowded by other anemones. Along the Pacific Coast of the United States, they can be found from Alaska down to Southern California in the intertidal zone.

Diet: Moonglow anemones eat small crustaceans and invertebrates that they grab with their tentacles. 

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• Just like the aggregating anemone, each moonglow anemone has a ring of white tentacles around its outside called acrorhagi that are specialized for stinging other anemones that come too close.

• Along the coast, clams leave behind holes where they used to live, which moonglow anemones sometimes like to take over and live within.

• Moonglow anemones—which are also sometimes called buried anemones—can sometimes be buried in sand as deep as 25 centimeters.

Reference: Central Coast Biodiversity