The Giant Anemone is probably one of the most iconic coral reef creatures, especially in wake of the Finding Nemo movie, with beautiful little Clown Fish swimming through its tentacles. In the Caribbean there are no Clown Fish, but there are anemones, and the Giant Anemone (Condylactis gigantea) is the largest of these. Its tentacles often have pink tips, and can be found growing both in reef crevices or directly on rocks out in the open. It is not colonial in nature like many of its Cnidarian relatives, instead living a solitary nature. In essence it is one giant polyp, very similar in many ways to its coral cousins. Like them, it has nematocyst cells in its tentacles that fire harpoon-like stingers if touched. Although not usually noticeable to humans, this sting is used to capture prey that the anemone then steers into its centrally-located mouth ready for a nasty meal. This prey usually consists of small fish, shrimp, worms and zooplankton. For a nice synopsis of this beautiful reef creature, see this Wikipedia article.
If you would like to see the original underwater photograph that is the inspiration behind this image then see here!!
About Reef Creature Clothing
We specialise in coral reef inspired clothing. You can also find limited edition printed products featuring some of our most popular designs. We donate 5% of our profits to conservation projects that help protect reef creatures around the globe. Currently we are supporting the Anguilla National Trust, who do vital conservation work on the small island of Anguilla, British West Indies where the majority of our images were taken. To help you learn more about these fascinating reef creatures many of them will have featured posts over the coming months. Watch this space!