Feeding

Where anemones have either numerous fine or long filamentous tentacles, feeding is generally via a suspension mechanism.  This is primarily on various invertebrates and/or plankton with the tentacles capturing prey using mucus and/or cnidae to paralyse the prey and then bending the tentacle to transfer the food to the mouth.  Some larger species with larger thick tentacles have been known to be predatory feeders, however, given the small size of this specimen, and the physiology of the tentacles, it could be assumed that it would be a suspension feeder.  It was also microscopically observed that a copepod was present on one of the section slides, and whilst it could have been chance that the copepod was in such close proximity to the anemone, it could also be an example of the specimen having been fixed close to feeding.