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November 14, 2020: Anemone

It isn’t hard to see why scientists on the 2017 American Samoa Expedition: Suesuega o le Moana o Amerika Samoa expedition dubbed this a “fried egg” anemone. Seen during a dive with the Ta'u Unit of National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, the tentacles of the anemone, which it uses to catch prey and move it to its bright yellow mouth, were freely flowing in the strong current.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 American Samoa. Download larger version (jpg, 1.6 MB).

It isn’t hard to see why scientists on the 2017 American Samoa Expedition: Suesuega o le Moana o Amerika Samoa expedition dubbed this a “fried egg” anemone. Seen during a dive with the Ta'u Unit of National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, the tentacles of the anemone, which it uses to catch prey and move it to its bright yellow mouth, were freely flowing in the strong current.

National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa protects extensive shallow coral reefs, deepwater reefs, hydrothermal vent communities, and rare marine archaeological resources. Read this essay to learn more about this unique and important place.