This is a carpet anemone (Cryptodendrum adhaesivum) with a clown shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpus: 3 cms.) near the anemone's mouth at the bottom right of the picture. The shrimp has large white spots on its back and five tiny yellow patches at the tip of its fan-like tail. The relationship between the two species is symbiotic. The shrimp lives in the protective shelter of the anemone, to the stinging nematocysts in the tentacles of which it is immune. It is reported that, in its turn, the anemone receives scraps of food from the zooplankton which the shrimp catches as prey. Egyptian Red Sea.

---

Size: 4664px × 3082px
Location: Near Hurghada, Egyptian Red Sea
Photo credit: © Terence Dormer / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: -operation, adhaesivum, adventure, anemone, brevicarpus, carpet, clown, coral, creation, cryptodendrum, diving, egypt, food, immune, life, marine, natural, periclimenes, red, reef, scraps, scuba, sea, selection, shrimp, species, stinging, symbiosis, tentacles, trd5143, underwater