The Snakelocks Anemone (Anemonia viridis) is a marine (saltwater) cnidarian in the Anthozoa class and Actiniidae family. It is related to coral, jellyfish, and hydra. It is a single polyp. It is an animal, not a plant.

The Snakelocks Anemone has soft deep-green or grey tentacles with purple tips. 

It grows to about 8 centimetres (3 inches) in length. 

The Snakelocks Anemone is native to the waters in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It prefers shallow waters with a lot of sunlight. 

It eats plankton. 

The polyp produces eggs and sperm. The eggs develop into planula that become polyps. It does not have a free-swimming medusa stage of its life cycle, like other anemones. 

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM