Need help identifying this Strange creature found at the sea

Michel

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Hello all,

Yesterday I was walking at the sea at low tide and and we found this strange creature on dry sand.
We first thought it was dead because it looked really bad but when I placed him in a small puddle of water it moved a bit :eek:.

Because I'm a reef tank owner and love saltwater animals I wasn't able to let it die on the dry sand so I took it home.
At home I put in an empty aquarium together with some small crabs that we found that day.

But I can't find anything online that looks like it so I'm having trouble identifying it.



this is a picture in a bucket a few hours after being in the water (it looked way worse when we found it).
1660920855751.png


This was at night when it was completely dark for a few hours.
1660921130602.png
1660921724960.png


This is how it looks now in the middle of the day.
1660921250256.png
 

Dcal

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looks like an abalone that got its shell ripped off lol (half serious answer)
 

Eagle_Steve

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Hello all,

Yesterday I was walking at the sea at low tide and and we found this strange creature on dry sand.
We first thought it was dead because it looked really bad but when I placed him in a small puddle of water it moved a bit :eek:.

Because I'm a reef tank owner and love saltwater animals I wasn't able to let it die on the dry sand so I took it home.
At home I put in an empty aquarium together with some small crabs that we found that day.

But I can't find anything online that looks like it so I'm having trouble identifying it.



this is a picture in a bucket a few hours after being in the water (it looked way worse when we found it).
1660920855751.png


This was at night when it was completely dark for a few hours.
1660921130602.png
1660921724960.png


This is how it looks now in the middle of the day.
1660921250256.png
Looks like you are from the netherlands.

From the top of my head, there are 3 speices of anemones that can be readily found they are below.

Looking at your pics, it appears to be the first one on the list. But very angry or has a severely torn foot.

Do a quick google search for the 3 below and compare them to your pics. Look ver "spots" on the columns of each, how they are spaced and then compare that to what you have. This should help to narrow it down. After that, you would need to compare the mouths, oral disk and how the tents are structured, rows of tents and spacing.

Sagartia troglodytes

Diadumene luciae

Diadumene cincta

Edit: Can you flip it over and take a picture mid day? This would provide another view to help ID it.
 
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Michel

Michel

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Looks like you are from the netherlands.

From the top of my head, there are 3 speices of anemones that can be readily found they are below.

Looking at your pics, it appears to be the first one on the list. But very angry or has a severely torn foot.

Do a quick google search for the 3 below and compare them to your pics. Look ver "spots" on the columns of each, how they are spaced and then compare that to what you have. This should help to narrow it down. After that, you would need to compare the mouths, oral disk and how the tents are structured, rows of tents and spacing.

Sagartia troglodytes

Diadumene luciae

Diadumene cincta

Edit: Can you flip it over and take a picture mid day? This would provide another view to help ID it.
1660927019353.png
1660927100870.png


hard to tell... I see some similarities with the Sagartia troglodytes.
Hole (mouth) in the middle, sort of dark green/grey around it and pink tentacles (all gone on the one I found?).
I have absolutely no clue :downcast-face-with-sweat:
 

ISpeakForTheSeas

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I have found it in the "wadden sea" in the north of the Netherlands.
The salinity there is 24-25 ppt.
Just to add to Eagle_Steve's list -
Anemones that I am aware of that have been confirmed in the Wadden Sea (the Netherlands keeps a rather unwieldy to sift through but extensive registry of species found in their oceans - see the link below*):
Cylista elegans
Cylista undata
Diadumene cincta
Diadumene lineata
Metridium dianthus (I'm not a nem expert, but I really doubt it's this one)
Sagartia troglodytes
Urticina felina
* https://www.nederlandsesoorten.nl/l...lse%7D%7D&trait_group=4&just_species=0&page=1
 

Eagle_Steve

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1660927019353.png
1660927100870.png


hard to tell... I see some similarities with the Sagartia troglodytes.
Hole (mouth) in the middle, sort of dark green/grey around it and pink tentacles (all gone on the one I found?).
I have absolutely no clue :downcast-face-with-sweat:
The issue when they are dying or turning themselves inside out is identification. I will say, it may be best to remove the nem from your tank, as it does appear to be on its way out if not already. Although, if you are not worried about that tank, as it was just a temporary one, you could always see what it does. Most tidal anemones are very very resilient and recover from some serious instances.
 
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Michel

Michel

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The issue when they are dying or turning themselves inside out is identification. I will say, it may be best to remove the nem from your tank, as it does appear to be on its way out if not already. Although, if you are not worried about that tank, as it was just a temporary one, you could always see what it does. Most tidal anemones are very very resilient and recover from some serious instances.
Yeah I agree. I haven't seen it moving in hours and the tank is getting a strange smell. I toke it out of water and put in in a smaller container inside the tank so it wont pollute the water. I will also do a big waterchange to make sure the crabs dont die from any wierd stuff in the water.
 

vetteguy53081

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Hello all,

Yesterday I was walking at the sea at low tide and and we found this strange creature on dry sand.
We first thought it was dead because it looked really bad but when I placed him in a small puddle of water it moved a bit :eek:.

Because I'm a reef tank owner and love saltwater animals I wasn't able to let it die on the dry sand so I took it home.
At home I put in an empty aquarium together with some small crabs that we found that day.

But I can't find anything online that looks like it so I'm having trouble identifying it.



this is a picture in a bucket a few hours after being in the water (it looked way worse when we found it).
1660920855751.png


This was at night when it was completely dark for a few hours.
1660921130602.png
1660921724960.png


This is how it looks now in the middle of the day.
1660921250256.png
Looks like a rock anemone that is not doing well but hard to confirm on phone screen
 

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