14 DAY TRIAL // A group of researchers have recently published a paper saying that, as surprising as this may sound, giant green sea anemones sometimes like to feast on birds that are unlucky enough to cross paths with them.
The specialists say that, quite often, these marine invertebrates like to start by devouring a bird's head and only later move on to gulping down the rest of the body.
This odd behavior has been caught on camera, and a video is available below. According to Tree Hugger, the footage has been shot in the waters off the coast of Oregon in the United States.
Specialists cannot say whether the seabird was alive and kicking at the time it stumbled over the giant green sea anemone, or if maybe it was already dead when the marine invertebrate found it.
“It is unknown whether the chick was alive or dead when engulfed by the anemone. It is possible that a predator such as a Bald Eagle dropped this chick or that it was knocked from the nest during a disturbance event,” they write.
However, what they are sure of is that this particular green sea anemone has one very sweet tooth for birds, and especially nestling cormorants.
For those unaware, sea anemones are predatory animals that live in water and can be found along rocky coasts. They have been documented to feed on several species, including small fish, mussels, crabs, and sea urchins.
