Ghost anemones have transparent, jelly-like bodies with a whitish or pinkish tint. A circle of 40-60 petal-like tentacles grows from the top of an elongated stalk. (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center)
The ghost anemone is a jelly-like invertebrate with a flat, rounded base and stinging tentacles at the top of an elongated stalk. It lives on rocks, reefs, pilings and other hard surfaces throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
Appearance:
Jelly-like, transparent body with a whitish or pinkish tint
Flat, rounded base
Elongated stalk with a circle of 40-60 petal-like tentacles growing from the top
Tiny mouth in the center of the circle of tentacles
Grows to 1.5 inches tall and one-half an inch wide
Habitat:
Lives on rocks, reefs, pilings and other hard surfaces in shallow waters
Moves by manipulating the base of its body, similar to an inchworm
Range:
Found throughout the Chesapeake Bay
Feeding:
Eats plankton and tiny fish
Uses its stinging tentacles to stun and capture its prey, then push the prey into its mouth
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
Reproduces both sexually and asexually
Asexual reproduction takes place when a new, identical anemone sprouts from the base of the body
To reproduce sexually, anemones release eggs and sperm into the water. Eggs produce free-swimming larvae that eventually settle onto a hard surface.
Other Facts:
Related to sea nettles. Just like the notorious jellyfish, anemones have stinging tentacles.
Even though they are always attached to a hard surface, anemones can move relatively fast – several inches in just a few hours
