Creature Feature: Strawberry Anemone

Meet the strawberry anemone (Corynactis californica), also called the club-tipped anemone. This small but striking predator is found in rocky reefs and kelp forests along the California coast. Growing to just about an inch across, they come in shades of red, pink, purple, yellow, or white, with translucent tentacles tipped like tiny clubs.

Though they resemble sea anemones, they’re actually more closely related to stony corals, but without the hard skeleton. Strawberry anemones reproduce both sexually and asexually, often forming dense colonies that spread across rocky surfaces. Fierce competitors, they use powerful stinging cells called nematocysts to fend off rivals, defend their territory, and capture prey.

Shoutout to our Aquatic Resources Group at Bodega Marine Laboratory for spotlighting this fascinating species!