WTF Wednesday: Swimming Anemone

Back at the end of last year, I decided I was going to go out of my way to meet new people in 2021. I’m seriously shy until I get warmed up and as I haven’t worked due to illness for the last couple of years I guess I’ve missed the social aspect that work generally brings. You know, new people come in, you get to know them, find the ones you hate, the ones you love and end up feeling apathy for the rest 🤣🤷‍♀️ Anyway, I decided to join a book club which was all kinds of fabulous and worked both the ol’ brain and allowed me to flex my social muscle a bit too. Plus, they have wine!

And then earlier this year I was added to a group on Insta of local nature, marine especially, loving folks and let me tell you, what a bloody revelation! Here I was reading everywhere that it’s so hard to make new friends as an adult and now I’m heading out for early morning rock shelf wanders and hugging people! I’ve never been much of a hugger and have even shirked off many a hug with a polite but very turned in upon myself, “Yuck, no thanks.” 🤣 I guess we can change after all!

I hadn’t even made it down the steps for a meet up yesterday when I started getting messages from the lovely Elyssa from Coal Kids Discovery Days saying she was off to a flying start having already found a Swimming or Wandering Anemone and it was a big one! Anna from Nature’s Notes met me on the way down and we were both super excited to see what the morning held. I tell you, these are my kinds of people! Well, they were until I realised they were a shoes off kind of bunch! Wtf indeed? I need all the grip I can muster to stay upright on the rocks but I removed my joggers and waded into the water because I’m both a glutton for punishment and easily moved by group think 🤣

Wandering, Swimming or Brain Sea Anemone – the creature with all the names!

I’m glad I decided to get wet though, as firstly, the water was surprisingly warm and secondly I got to see this lovely up nice and close. I’ve seen a few of these anemones previously but much smaller. They can reach up to about 15cm and when you usually see them during the day, they just look like a ball of (colourful) baked beans! Unlike other anemones that spend most of their lives attached to rocks or the substrate these guys can crawl along the sea bed or move around, floating and being tumbled along by the current.

I usually find them in rock pools, attached to bits of weed or rolling around with the tide. It’s at night that they come into their own, moving about with tentacles extended, sometimes crawling to the top of a strand of weed making it easier to catch prey as it swims past! Now, I’m home I’ve read that the tentacles can actually give you a bit of a sting which makes sense since they’re what the animal uses to catch their prey. But yeah, ah, I might need to remember that in future as I’ve not only become a hugger but a bit of a toucher when it comes to marine finds as well! Oops!

Swimming Anemone – Sandon Point