Sea Anemone Feeding Video

Sea anemones are carnivorous animals that consume animal matter. They catch and eat fish, mussels, worms, shrimp, zooplankton crustaceans, and tiny marine larvae. They wait for prey to pass by and then spring into action firing their harpoons at its victim to paralyse and ensnare it. It then grasps its prey with its tentacles and slowly pulls its prey into its gut. Once consumed any waste is also ejected through its mouth as it does not have a separate anus.

Note: If you listen to the conversation in this video you will hear that the aquarium owners have already lost a blue fish and only now realise that it was probably eaten by the sea anemone. More interestingly, the woman tells us that the shrimp in the tank grabbed the yellow fish and dragged it to the sea anemone to be eaten. What bizarre behaviour you think. Actually it makes sense from the shrimp's viewpoint. The shrimp could not eat the yellow fish; it was too large. But it was strong enough to garb the yellow fish and drag it to the sea anemone who can easily consume the fish. The sea anemone will eventually spit out bits and pieces of the fish it consumed. These pieces are just the right size for the shrimp to eat. See! There is a reason for the shrimp's apparent madness.

Sea Anemone — The home of 'Nemo'