Strawberry Anemones

Corynactis californica

Did you think it was a flower? This beautiful animal is often mistaken for a plant, but is actually a cnidarian (jellyfish and their relatives) commonly called the Strawberry or Club-tipped Anemone, Corynactis californica. Though it has the common name "anemone", it is actually part of a group of cnidarians called Corallimorpharia, that may be described as corals that lack skeletons.

Like most cnidarians, the club-shaped tips of this animal's tentacles contain stinging cells, called nematocysts. These nematocysts shoot out of the tentacles, like poison arrow darts, and inject toxins and entangle potential prey that pass within it's reaches. This species tends to form clusters of many individuals under rocky ledges and live in coastal waters, ranging from British Columbia to Central California. The colour of C. californica varies from nearly white to pink, red, pale blue, and lavender and the largest individuals are only 2 centimetres tall!

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