08/07/2026
When a seagull meets its anemone.
Recently, a volunteer with Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge spotted a sea anemone in the process of digesting a seagull leg that had washed into the tidepool.
Despite looking like lush marine flowers, green sea anemones are actually hungry carnivores and ambush predators armed with tiny stinging cells called nematocysts.
Anemones are opportunistic feeders, catching whatever drifts within reach, which can be crabs, small fish, mussels, and other unexpected snacks delivered by the waves. Once captured, the tentacles guide the food into the central mouth, where digestion begins slowly but efficiently.
USFWS volunteer photo: Ed Nordquist, via Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuges
