A Number Of The Beadlet Anemone Or Actinia Equina Stock Photo

The beadlet anemone, Actinia equina, is a common sea anemone found on rocky shores around all coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its range extends to the rest of Western Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, and along the Atlantic coast of Africa as far south as South Africa. Actinia equina can be found both in exposed and sheltered situations. It is highly adapted to the intertidal zone as it can tolerate both high temperatures and desiccation. The anemone may also be found in regions of variable salinity such as estuaries. Underwater, it displays up to 192 tentacles, arranged in six circles. Out of water, the tentacles retract and the anemone resembles a blob of red, brown, green or orange jelly, up to about 5 centimetres 2.0 in across. Photo taken in Morocco, at an atlantic coast beach.