The giant carpet anemone (Stichodactyla gigantea) is a kind of sea anemone found in a variety of vibrant colors. These anemones are located in the Indo-Pacific region and they occupy shallow waters while remaining attached to any rock or coral rubble. In captivity, they need to be kept with proper lighting, a suitable water flow, and so on, to help them survive.Giant carpet anemones are carnivorous and they use their stinging tentacles for feeding. Common food materials in their diet are small fish, shrimp, and zooplankton. This anemone’s body is quite large and is covered with tentacles, which makes it look like a shaggy carpet!. They have a narrow column with a foot attached to it and the oral disc in this species is folded, unlike in other kinds of sea anemones. The disc forms the only opening in this anemone’s body for taking in food and expelling waste material. These anemones live in association with symbiotic algae, which occupy their cells and provide nutrition.To learn more about the giant carpet anemone, keep reading! For more relatable content, check out these mini carpet anemone facts and jewel anemone facts for kids.
Fun Giant Carpet Anemone Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Zooplankton, small fish, shrimp
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? N/A
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 19.7 in (50 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Purple, green, pink, deep blue
Skin Type Bumpy
What were their main threats? N/a
What is their conservation status? Not Evaluated
Where you’ll find them? Shallow Seagrass, In An Aquarium, Sand Beds
Locations Indo-pacific Area
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Stichodactyla
Class Anthozoa
Family Stichodactylidae
Giant Carpet Anemone Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is a giant carpet anemone?The giant carpet anemone (Stichodactyla gigantea) is a kind of sea anemone that is found in a variety of different colors. This species has a folded oral disc which does not remain flat against any surface. The large amount of tentacles on its body gives it a carpet-like appearance.What class of animal does a giant carpet anemone belong to?This S. gigantea anemone belongs to the class Anthozoa. The brain coral is another member of this class.How many giant carpet anemones are there in the world?The exact population of the giant carpet sea anemone has not been estimated. Fortunately, their numbers seem to be under no threat as they are quite common.Where does a giant carpet anemone live?These sea anemones are found in the Indo-Pacific region. Their range covers areas from the Red Sea to the Solomon Islands.What is a giant carpet anemone’s habitat?Giant carpet anemones are found in shallow waters with a sand bottom or seagrass. They can be found living among coral rubble near any reef environment. In captivity, they can be kept in reef tanks or reef aquariums.Who do giant carpet anemones live with?These marine creatures live alone, instead of in groups. In captivity, it is advised to keep these anemones separately, as they may be aggressive to corals or other anemones.How long does a giant carpet anemone live?If all the requirements of this anemone are met, they can live for three to five years healthily.How do they reproduce?Giant carpet anemones have never been bred in captivity and aren’t known to reproduce by fission. This is why giant carpet anemone propagation is not recommended. This species probably reproduces through sexual means, involving the production of gametes by male and female giant carpet anemones, which fuse to give rise to larvae.What is their conservation status?The conservation status of this anemone has not been listed by the International Union For Conservation Of Nature or IUCN. These anemones seem to be under no threat of endangerment at the moment.Giant Carpet Anemone Fun FactsWhat do giant carpet anemones look like?The giant carpet anemone (Stichodactyla gigantea) is observed in a variety of colors like purple, green, pink, deep blue, or tan. They have a narrow body column with a sticky foot. Their oral disc is usually brown or greenish and it is deeply folded in nature, instead of being flat against the surface. The tentacles in this species are sticky, short, and tapered. Since they have so many tentacles, they look like shaggy carpets.How cute are they?The typical giant carpet sea anemone colors make it stand out, so it is often considered to be very cute.How do they communicate?The giant carpet anemone is known to communicate through chemical means. They mainly use chemicals to alert each other about any predators.How big is a giant carpet anemone?The length of these sea anemones grows to as much as 19.7 in (50 cm). They are quite large in size, and their diameter can be as big as 31.5 in (80 cm). The tentacles of this species are 0.3 in (8 mm) long. In comparison to Haddon’s sea anemone (Stichodactyla haddoni), which can grow up to 31.5 in (80 cm), the giant carpet anemone is much smaller.How fast can a giant carpet anemone move?Giant carpet anemones do not tend to move a lot as they are well adjusted to one place. If they have to move, they do so quite slowly, unless they are under threat.How much does a giant carpet anemone weigh?The exact weight of the Stichodactyla gigantea is not known. In general, species of sea anemones can weigh up to 440 lb (199.6 kg).What are the male and female names of the species?A male sea anemone and female sea anemone of this species are simply each known as a male giant carpet anemone and a female giant carpet anemone.What would you call a baby giant carpet anemone?A baby giant carpet anemone is known as a larva.What do they eat?The giant sea carpet anemone has a carnivorous diet and it mainly feeds on zooplankton and small fish in their natural habitat. Their tentacles have stinging cells that aid in their feeding. These sea anemones also form a symbiotic relationship with their symbiotic algae known as zooxanthellae. The algae remain attached to the cells of the body of the anemone and they provide the anemone with nutrients through photosynthesis. In captivity, these anemones are provided with meaty food products like shrimp and fish.Are they dangerous?This sea anemone species is not considered to be dangerous. However, they should be handled with care since they have venomous cells in their tentacles which they can use to sting if provoked.Would they make a good pet?These sea anemones are difficult to keep as pets since they have a ton of requirements that need to be fulfilled correctly for them to thrive.Did you know…The giant carpet anemone is a host to different kinds of anemonefish. These fish are unaffected by the stinging property of their host. Some examples of anemonefish to which the giant carpet anemone plays host are two-band anemonefish (Amphiprion bicinctus), Clark’s clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii), the common clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris), the orange clownfish (Amphiprion percula), and the pink skunk clownfish (Amphiprion perideraion).How do carpet anemones reproduce?Carpet anemones reproduce through both sexual and asexual means. In the asexual method, they reproduce through a process known as ‘fission’ where an individual carpet anemone is observed to split into two. On the other hand, sexual reproduction involves the production and fusion of gametes which give rise to larvae.Giant carpet anemones careGiant carpet anemone care requires a lot of attention to detail. This species of sea anemones is hard to maintain in an aquarium or tank, due to their extensive requirements. They should be introduced to a tank or aquarium with a reef environment that uses sand as the substrate. These anemones do well in intense lighting. Since this anemone uses its foot to stick to a rock, it would be ideal to have plenty of rocks in its enclosure. The water flow in their tank should be moderate or strong. Lastly, they can be given chopped cod, silverside, or shrimp as food.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other Anthozoa from our giant green anemone fun facts and Condylactis anemone facts pages.You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable giant carpet anemone coloring pages.
What type of animal is a giant carpet anemone?
The giant carpet anemone (Stichodactyla gigantea) is a kind of sea anemone that is found in a variety of different colors. This species has a folded oral disc which does not remain flat against any surface. The large amount of tentacles on its body gives it a carpet-like appearance.
Fun Giant Carpet Anemone Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Zooplankton, small fish, shrimp
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? N/A
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 19.7 in (50 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Purple, green, pink, deep blue
Skin Type Bumpy
What were their main threats? N/a
What is their conservation status? Not Evaluated
Where you’ll find them? Shallow Seagrass, In An Aquarium, Sand Beds
Locations Indo-pacific Area
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Stichodactyla
Class Anthozoa
Family Stichodactylidae
Fun Giant Carpet Anemone Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Zooplankton, small fish, shrimp
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? N/A
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 19.7 in (50 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Purple, green, pink, deep blue
Skin Type Bumpy
What were their main threats? N/a
What is their conservation status? Not Evaluated
Where you’ll find them? Shallow Seagrass, In An Aquarium, Sand Beds
Locations Indo-pacific Area
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Stichodactyla
Class Anthozoa
Family Stichodactylidae
Fun Giant Carpet Anemone Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Zooplankton, small fish, shrimp
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? N/A
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 19.7 in (50 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Purple, green, pink, deep blue
Skin Type Bumpy
What were their main threats? N/a
What is their conservation status? Not Evaluated
Where you’ll find them? Shallow Seagrass, In An Aquarium, Sand Beds
Locations Indo-pacific Area
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Stichodactyla
Class Anthozoa
Family Stichodactylidae
Fun Giant Carpet Anemone Facts For Kids
What do they prey on? Zooplankton, small fish, shrimp
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? N/A
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 19.7 in (50 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Purple, green, pink, deep blue
Skin Type Bumpy
What were their main threats? N/a
What is their conservation status? Not Evaluated
Where you’ll find them? Shallow Seagrass, In An Aquarium, Sand Beds
Locations Indo-pacific Area
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Stichodactyla
Class Anthozoa
Family Stichodactylidae
What do they prey on? Zooplankton, small fish, shrimp
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? N/A
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 19.7 in (50 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Purple, green, pink, deep blue
Skin Type Bumpy
What were their main threats? N/a
What is their conservation status? Not Evaluated
Where you’ll find them? Shallow Seagrass, In An Aquarium, Sand Beds
Locations Indo-pacific Area
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Stichodactyla
Class Anthozoa
Family Stichodactylidae
What do they prey on? Zooplankton, small fish, shrimp
What do they eat? Carnivore
Average litter size? N/A
How much do they weigh? N/A
How long are they? 19.7 in (50 cm)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Purple, green, pink, deep blue
Skin Type Bumpy
What were their main threats? N/a
What is their conservation status? Not Evaluated
What do they prey on?
Zooplankton, small fish, shrimp
What do they eat?
Carnivore
Average litter size?
N/A
How much do they weigh?
How long are they?
19.7 in (50 cm)
How tall are they?
What do they look like?
Purple, green, pink, deep blue
Skin Type
Bumpy
What were their main threats?
N/a
What is their conservation status?
Not Evaluated
Where you’ll find them? Shallow Seagrass, In An Aquarium, Sand Beds
Locations Indo-pacific Area
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Stichodactyla
Class Anthozoa
Family Stichodactylidae
Where you’ll find them?
Shallow Seagrass, In An Aquarium, Sand Beds
Locations
Indo-pacific Area
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Stichodactyla
Kingdom
Animalia
Genus
Stichodactyla
Class Anthozoa
Family Stichodactylidae
