Fish Id: A Guide To East Coast Fishes

Anemone Actina equina? (some difficulty determining which ours are), Class Anthozoa, phylum Cnidaria

These do not have a skeleton. Sea anemones occur everywhere in the oceans, at all depths, but are particularly abundant in coastal waters. They come in any colors (these local Great Bay samples being a deep rich burgundy color) and look alot like flowers when fully open with tentacles extended to feed/hunt. Many types are predatory...using stinging cells to stun their prey (some people are sensitive to the stings, handling with gloves is recommended). Our local varity has stiff spines...stepping on the spines with bare feet can be exceedingly painful, especially if spines break in the skin. They generally attach themselves to rocks, coral, or other bottom structures, such as the pilings you see in the water around Fish Island in Great Bay.
This specimen provided by Dave Busza

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