Snakelocks anemone
Anemonia viridis
- Scientific name
- Anemonia viridis
- Group
- Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
- Rarity
- Common
- Where to see it
- Mediterranean
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least concern
Did you know?
Unlike most anemones, the snakelocks anemone can't fully retract its long, wavy tentacles, which stay extended even at rest. Its greenish color comes from microscopic algae living symbiotically in its tissues, which supply it with extra energy through photosynthesis.
What defines this group — Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
Corals, anemones and jellyfish: the same simple animal, anchored to the bottom or drifting in open water.
- All armed with cnidocytes, harpoon cells that fire on contact.
- A body arranged in rays around a single opening, serving as both mouth and exit.
- Hard corals host algae in their tissue: it is their departure that causes bleaching.