noaasanctuaries:

Watch out – this Venus flytrap anemone stings! 

Like the plant from which they get their name, Venus flytrap anemones trap unwitting prey. The anemone’s tentacles contain stinging cells that inject venom and can close to keep prey from escaping. 

This beautiful anemone was spotted in the deep waters of National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa by researchers aboard the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. The anemone itself is perched on top of a dead Iridogorgia coral, perhaps to better access the current and passing prey. 

(Photo: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 American Samoa)

And this is what we call convergent evolution. Sometimes very unrelated things end up in the same shape because it’s a Very Good Shape.