Elephant Ear Anemone
Elephant Ear Anemone
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Klasifikasi
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Corallimorpharia
Family: Discosomidae
Genus: Amplexidiscus
Species: A. fenestrafer
Amplexidiscus fenestrafer
Amplexidiscus fenestrafer
Habitat & Distribution: Top reef, at depths 5 - 25 meter, still and turbid waters, tropical Indo-West Pacific
Diet: Small fish, plankton, benthic invertebrates and nutrients from zooxanthellae photosynthesis
Size: Up to 40 cm
Lifespan: 12 - 25 years
Description
The elephant ear anemone resembles a flexible disc or as their name suggests an elephant's ear. Its color ranges from light beige to deep brown. Their tentacles is cone-shaped, while their mouth is located at the center.
Behavior
Can capture and prey on fish. When a fish approaches, it will be stung by the elephant ear anemone's tentacles, and then wrapped in its body, before eaten and digested with its mouth.
Reproduction
They reproduce asexually, splitting themselves equally to create an identical half.
Communication & Perception
They use chemical cues.
Predator
No known predators.
Conservation Status: Not Evaluated (IUCN Red List)
Fakta unik
Despite the name, elephant's ear anemone is not a true anemone. It is a solo member of genus Amplexidiscus, a type of Corallimorph, which lacks a hard calcareous skeleton like sea anemones, but whose internal anatomy and stinging cells resemble hard/stony corals.
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