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This was our first recognized encounter with the northern red anemone. We accidentally assaulted this animal by dropping the ROV tether ballast bag on it. This clip was shot on 7/30/2006 at the Ragged Island Steps site in 57 feet of water.
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Red anemone closed up
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After we pulled the ballast bag away from that individual, cautiously over the next several minutes it re-deployed its tentacles. In the process it grabbed the antenna of a passing lobster... twice.
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Red anemone deploying
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This red anemone was located nearby the one seen above on the same day. Red is a name, not necessarily a color with regard to these anemone. This individual was in a place difficult to approach with the ROV, being sort of in a gully.
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Red in gully
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In this clip we see a northern red anemone at a distance. They are not always this easy to spot. The contrast here is particularly good. This clip was shot at the Lambo Ridge site in 70 feet of water.
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Red approach
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Here we have used the ROV's onboard lights to illuminate the same animal seen in the previous clip. Notice the small codfish swimming up to investigate the ROV. This clip was shot at the Lambo Ridge site in 70 feet of water.
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Red anemone illuminated
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In this clip we creep up close to the same individual seen in the previous clip. We get a fairly good look at the central disk and mouth opening. This clip was shot at the Lambo Ridge site in 70 feet of water.
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Red anemone closer look
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This individual, seen above, was quite tolerant of the ROV in its space. It provided a good closeup look at the tentacle arrangement, partially withdrawn. Notice the pink tint brought out by the onboard lights.
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Red anemone tentacles
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While we were tucked in close to this anemone it reached out and grabbed the right ROV skid. It seemed interested in getting some more tentacles attached and was disturbed when we broke contact.
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Red grabs ROV
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It appears in this clip that the loss of contact with the ROV, seen in the previous clip, was so upsetting that the anemone decided to close up shop altogether.
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Red anemone retracts
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These northern red anemone seem to prefer areas relatively free from silt and mud, in places where there is some tidal flow. The leafy maroon colored algae waving in the foreground is called dulse. This clip was shot at the Ragged Island Steps site in 55 feet of water.
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Redder northern red
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Here we have moved closer to the animal seen above. It is playing with a stringy algae called ceramium.
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Red with Weed
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Here is the same individual as above with its tentacles withdrawn. It puckered up when I got the ROV too close. Notice the young seal peeking over the ledge in the background. It was very surprised to see our micro-submarine in its territory.
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Anemone in the bag
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Here is another individual in the same general area as the others at the Ragged Island Steps site shot this day. With range of visibility around 10 or 12 feet, it is very hard to revisit any of these animals once they are out of sight. I have never managed it yet.
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Dark Northern Red
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We happened upon this northern red anemone getting ready to spread its tentacles. This shot offers a good view of the stalk attachment to the rock. It was a challenge to find a good resting place for the ROV. Notice the Jonah crab resting in the background. This clip was shot on 7/07/2007 at the Lambo Ridge site in 61 feet of water.
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Red anemone opening
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After repositioning the ROV we continued to watch the tentacle array deploying. This anemone does not seem to be in any hurry to start fishing.
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Still opening
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We invested some more time waiting for this animal to fully deploy and finally gave up to seek other adventures. Notice the Jonah crab still resting in the background.
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Opening a bit more
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We actually collide with this individual but it only partially retracts. The lighting is not ideal but the position of the animal, the tidal current and wave action all take priority over back lighting. This clip was shot on 7/10/2007 at the Ragged Island Steps site in 57 feet of water.
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Approach to anemone
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This anemone was found farther southwest on this site than we had previously looked. We will continue to visit this area and try to find its extent and the number of anemone on it. This clip was shot on 7/22/2007 at the Ragged Island Steps site in 55 feet of water.
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Maroon red anemone
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When we first saw this individual we thought that it might be the one seen in the clip of 7/10/2007 above but seeing them together it is clear that the rock is different, as well as the orientation on the rock. Normally these anemone do not move year after year unless the environment becomes unsuitable. This clip was shot on 7/22/2007 at the Ragged Island Steps site in 65 feet of water.
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Different individual, similar color
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This shows the approach to the anemone to illustrate in a different setting what they look like at some distance. This clip was shot on 8/9/2007 at the Ragged Island South Shelf site in 63 feet of water.
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Blonde red anemone
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Here we make a closer approach to the individual above. This clip was shot on 8/9/2007 at the Ragged Island South Shelf site in 63 feet of water.
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Closer blonde red
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Here we actually straddle this anemone with the skids on the ROV. This is sort of the prey's eye view of this predator. This clip was shot on 8/9/2007 at the Ragged Island South Shelf site in 63 feet of water.
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Closest blond red
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This is another individual on the same site as above but in shallower water. We have not yet identified the silver weed in the foreground. We would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows what it is. This clip was shot on 8/9/2007 at the Ragged Island South Shelf site in 59 feet of water.
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Red with silver weed
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These animals are subject to the force of tidal current and waves as well as occasional collisions with the ROV or a tether ballast bag. I suspect this sort of wave action may make it harder to gather food, which is what the tentacles are mainly for. It doesn't keep this one from trying. This clip was shot on 8/20/2007 at the Ragged Island Steps site in 57 feet of water.
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Red anemone in wave current
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Here is a color combination we had not seen before. The central disk is exceptionally dark, almost black. It appears that the color variations are not related to environment or diet since we see all sorts of variety in the same neighborhood. This clip was shot on 8/20/2007 at the Ragged Island Steps site in 57 feet of water.
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Dark chocolate red
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This individual is apparently not fully developed. Based on the projected separation of the ROV skids I would judge the animal to be less than 2 inches in diameter. This clip was shot on 7/28/2008 at the Ragged Island Steps site in 58 feet of water.
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Red juvenile
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We thought this was a particularly elegant individual on account of the distinctive banding of the tentacles. We see the approach from some distance in this scene. This clip was shot on 7/28/2008 at the Ragged Island Steps site in 58 feet of water.
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Red banded approach
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Here we see some of the inner workings of the same individual seen above. This clip was shot on 7/28/2008 at the Ragged Island Steps site in 58 feet of water.
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Red banded close
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