WHATSTHATFISH
Corals & anemones

Giant Carpet Anemone

Stichodactyla gigantea

Also known as: Carpet Anemone, Giant Carpet, Giant Carpet Sea Anemone, Gigantic Carpet Anemone, Gigantic Sea Anemone, Hexacoral, Magnificent Anemone

Adult
@fishx6 · Mirihi Island Resort, Maldives · May 20081 / 20
01

Overview

Found over rubble and sandy bottoms, of coral and rocky reefs, playing host to 7 types of anemone fish and their families.
They feed on fish fry, small invertebrates, and zooplankton, by catching in their sticky, stinging tentacles.

Sea Anemones are large solitary polyps which have no skeleton. They have a basal or pedal disc which helps them crawl and dig into place, for some, once in place it is virtually impossible to move. Other smaller anemones move around the reef to feed at night.
Most eat plankton, but they are capable of eating anything caught in their stinging tentacles including quite big fish.
The fringing tentacles are configured in six or multiples of six.
Some sea anemones have a symbiotic relationship with sea anemones and some live commensally with various crabs, shrimp and brittle stars.

02

How to identify

COLOURS
Body shape
tentacles

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Indo-Pacific
  • Exact location · 1
  • Country only · 19
LIVES IN

Found over rubble and sandy bottoms, of coral and rocky reefs, playing host to 7 types of anemone fish and their families.

04

Adult photos 20

06

Discussion

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    ALL STAGES
    FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

    Deep dive

    Taxonomy

    1. kingdomAnimalia
    2. phylumCnidaria
    3. classHexacorallia
    4. orderActiniaria
    5. familyStichodactylidae
    6. genusStichodactyla
    7. speciesStichodactyla gigantea (Forsskål, 1775)

    SourcesWoRMSWikipedia

    07

    More in the family

    Sea Anemones (Stichodactylidae)