What Do People Do With Christmas Anemones?

Christmas anemones are a type of sea creature which can be found in many parts of the world, including from Alaska to South Carolina, Europe and eastern Canada. They are particularly colorful and have a distinctive shape. Mostly Christmas anemones are found in the wild, but have received considerable interest owing to their unique form. People can either keep them as pets or observe them.

  1. Description

    • Certain types of Christmas anemones are distinguished by tentacles protruding from an oval shaped column of flesh. The column can be greenish, olive, brown, pale orange or white in color, while the tentacles can be bright pink, blue or purple, for example. It might also have stripes or patches on its tentacles. Christmas anemones live in cold water habitats and can live up to 80 years. They move somewhat like a slug across rocks, coral and sand in the ocean, especially vertical walls at depths of up to 98 feet.

    Pets

    • People can keep Christmas anemones as pets, provided that they are kept in the appropriate environment. They should be placed in a large tank with rocks, cold water and fed the correct diet. Christmas anemones should be fed silverside, shrimp, kill and mussels once or twice week. People enjoy looking at them, since they are unique in appearance. Watching their movement and behavioral patterns provides an interest to adults and children alike.

    Photography

    • Scuba divers often encounter Christmas anemones on routine dives. As such, they are an unusual creature to observe while diving, and colorful subject matter for a diver's photographs. People can practice underwater photography skills by taking snaps of this creature. The anemone moves slowly, and so this gives the opportunity for the diver to perfect their buoyancy, instead of darting after speedy fish.

    Education

    • People use Christmas anemones to learn about the ecosystem and different forms of wildlife found in the ocean. For example. some species of Christmas anemone reproduce by splitting itself to form a clone. Others release sperm and eggs into the water to be fertilized. It is important to note however, that if you keep two cloned anemone in the same tank it could create aggression or chemical warfare between the animals. Therefore, it is best to keep them separately.