With friends like these, who needs anenomes?

May 1, 2023 1:13 PM

Discovered in the deep: the superbuilder sea anemones that make verandas
posted by brundlefly (8 comments total)

Double plus good on the title: let it be gilded in our memories.
posted by y2karl at 1:15 PM on May 1, 2023 [4 favorites]

Yoshikawa found plenty of crabs without stinging companions, which suggests calcifer sea anemones are in short supply in the deep sea. This is probably another reason why the crabs go to such trouble to keep their anemones. But it does not explain why hermit crabs risk moving shells when their anemones could so easily be stolen mid-transfer – especially when these handy shell friends can build extensions for growing crabs.

I will henceforth only refer to anemones as "handy shell friends."

Mainly because it's awesome, but partly because it's just way easier to spell.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:04 PM on May 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Deep sea crabs getting verandas built? That neighbourhood is 400 meters underwater and I've already been priced out, dang.
posted by mhoye at 2:23 PM on May 1, 2023

Fascinating, and the name is a clever choice: it both builds the movable house and sort of looks like a flaming ember. (though the fact that senior scientists can now have Howl’s Moving Castle as a childhood favourite makes me feel ancient).
posted by Phanx at 2:39 PM on May 1, 2023 [3 favorites]

The crab took almost two days to painstakingly pinch, prod and cajole the anemone until it eventually let go of the old shell and fixed on to the new one.

This is such a close and yet highly behavioral symbiosis and mutualism, I love it!
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:05 PM on May 1, 2023 [3 favorites]

the fact that senior scientists can now have Howl’s Moving Castle as a childhood favourite makes me feel ancient

No that's fine, it's the fact that they're talking about the movie.
posted by echo target at 3:16 PM on May 1, 2023 [4 favorites]

handy shell friends >= oh, shit, I forgot what the joke was.
posted by shoesfullofdust at 6:21 PM on May 1, 2023

> Yoshikawa named the sea anemone calcifer after a character in one of his favourite childhood films, the 2004 animation Howl’s Moving Castle.

[dies of old age]
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 2:39 AM on May 3, 2023 [1 favorite]