Giant Anemone

Anemones, such as the Giant Anemone picture here, are famous now thanks to the brightly coloured clownfish from Pixar movie fame. These fish do not live in the Caribbean however, and so the local anemones sway around uninhabited while they wait for passing morsels to drift into their reaches. Although anemones sting, those in this part of the world can only penetrate sensitive skin so most people will not feel much if they touch them (don’t do this though as it is a habit better avoided underwater where many creatures are delicate and many others do actually sting or bite). If you do accidentally touch one however, it is quite an odd sensation as it has a sticky sensation. This is in fact their nematocysts firing tiny poison harpoons into your skin. That should be enough to put off even the most curious of fingers.

Originally posted on Instagram @sea_anguilla with the text: Macro of a Giant Anemone swashing around in the swells on the reefs close to Sandy Island. There are no Anemone Fish here in the Caribbean so I can’t post a classic picture of Nemo as everyone else loves to do. Still, I find the patterned detail beautiful.