Anemones are known for serving as homes for Nemo and countless other small fish and invertebrates. But these Cnidarians (in the same phylum as jellyfish and same class as corals) have a long journey before they end up permanently stuck to a rock for their adult lives. An anemone starts out as a fertilized egg, which develops into free-swimming a larva (the planula). After growing bigger, it turns into a juvenile anemone polyp, finds a substrate to live on (such as a rock, coral or hard bottom) and grows up into an adult anemone. Watch here as a juvenile anemone polyp eats a brine shrimp that is practically its body size under a microscope! Visit the Ocean Portal: http://ocean.si.edu On Facebook: http://facebook.com/OceanPortal On Twitter: http://twitter.com/OceanPortal Credits: Footage: Michael Henley, Smithsonian's National Zoo Editing: Emily Frost, Smithsonian's Ocean Portal Music: Test Drive by Zapac
