Category: Invertebrates
These water dwelling, carnivorous animals are named for a type of flower, no doubt owing to their often colorful flower-like appearances and generally stationary lifestyle. They attach to the substrate with an adhesive foot called their “basal disc,” above which is their body column topped by an “oral disc” surrounded by stinging tentacles. Their diet consists mainly of small fish, shrimp, and other tiny aquatic organisms. With a few highly toxic exceptions, most anemones are harmless to humans. Many sea anemones form a facultative symbiotic relationship with certain single-celled algae species, benefitting from the byproducts of the alga’s photosynthetic processes.
It’s an ant’s world. We’re just living in it.
Do humans truly dominate the world? The Argentine ant may have something to say about that. Many ants are known for their large colonies, but the Argentine ant, named for its South American origins takes this to a whole other level. Due to inadvertent introduction by humans, the Argentine ant has spread to all continents except Antarctica. There are now three known super-colonies of these ants: one in Europe (the largest, covering 3,700 miles), one in California (560 miles), and another on the west coast of Japan. Ants are often territorial, but amazingly, ants belonging to the super-colonies recognize one another: if you were to introduce a super colony ant from Japan to one from Europe or California, they will recognize each other as friends!
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Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
