Most commonly spotted as dark red blobs in rockpools, beadlet anemones are attached to rocks all around the coast of the UK, the base of their body acting as a sucker to keep them secure in place.
The magic of the beadlet anemone is only revealed once the tide comes in; as it is only then that their thick short tentacles become visible. They use these tentacles to sting and catch passing prey like crabs, shrimp and small fish. These are then retracted at low tide or when disturbed.
Beadlet anemones are highly territorial. They have a ring of beautiful bright blue beads beneath their tentacles called acrorhagithat which are packed full of stinging cells. They use these beads to fight off other anemones and defend their preferred patch.