These Sea Anemones Have a Diverse Diet. and They Eat Ants
Published:05 Jul.2021 Source:University at Buffalo
The giant plumose anemone is an animal, but it looks a bit like an underwater cauliflower. Its body consists of a stalk-like column that attaches to rocks and other surfaces on one end, and to a crown of tentacles on the other.
The anemones use these feelers to collect and shove food into their mouths, and a new study provides an in-depth look into the rich diversity of prey the anemones are catching. This includes a surprising menu item: ants, specifically the pale-legged field ant, Lasius pallitarsis. And the occasional spider. The research was published on June 15 in the journal Environmental DNA. The study focused on giant plumose anemones, known to scientists as Metridium farcimen, that were fixed to the sides and undersides of floating docks in the region of the San Juan Archipelago in the northwestern part of the state of Washington.