Giant Green Anemone Spotted Consuming Seabird on Oregon Coast
Posted on May 8, 2014
Giant Green Anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) have been spotted eating birds on the Oregon coast. A report on the behavior was published here in the journal, Marine Ornithology by researchers from the University of Washington. Lisa Sheffield Guy is the lead author of the paper. Giant Green Anemones typically feed on small fish and crustaceans which are stung and immobilized by nematocysts in the anemone's tentacles. The bird is quite a large meal for the anemone. The scientists are not sure if the cormorant chick in the above photo was alive before the anemone started to consume it.
"It is unknown whether the chick was alive or dead when engulfed by the anemone. It is possible that a predator such as a Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus dropped this chick or that it was knocked from the nest during a disturbance event. Disturbance of seabird colonies along the Oregon coast has increased in the past decade (Horton & Suryan 2012 and references therein), and aerial predators disturb the seabirds at Haystack Rock daily during the nesting season (LSG, pers. obs.)."
The research paper also includes a photo of a bird leg being consumed by a Giant Green Anemone. Another observation is also described in the article where an anemone had engulfed a chick, leaving only the feet exposed. Here is a video of the anemone eating the bird. Take a look: