A Fairly Anemone Makes Area and Eats Waste

This deep-sea anemone appears to be a tremendous roommate. Scientists not too long ago found this creature, which was named Paracalliactis tsukisome, residing in concord with hermit crabs off Japan’s coast within the Pacific Ocean. P. tsukisome dwells on the shells of the hermit crab Oncopagurus monstrosus, which dwell round 650 to 1,600 toes beneath the ocean’s floor.

According to a latest study revealed in Royal Society Open Science, the spiky sea anemone builds a shell-like construction referred to as a carcinoecium, which provides extra sq. footage to the house of its hermit crab companion. The title tsukisome is becoming—it comes from a classical Japanese phrase which means “pale pink color,” which can be associated with a “deep, faithful bond” described in historical Japanese poetry.

Shell constructing is an uncommon tactic for sea anemones, which don’t usually possess inflexible skeletons. In reality, it’s “surprisingly sophisticated behavior” for a easy animal like a sea anemone, said research writer Akihiro Yoshikawa, an affiliate professor at Kumamoto University in Japan, in a press release.

Beyond discovering a spot to quiet down, P. tsukisome additionally advantages from its crabby companion by snacking on its feces—an “unusual but efficient form of recycling on the deep-sea floor,” in line with the assertion.

This is a uncommon have a look at an unexpectedly mutualistic relationship cast by co-evolution within the ocean depths.

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Lead picture: Yoshigawa, A., et al. Royal Society Open Science (2025).

• Molly Glick

  Posted on November 6, 2025

  Molly Glick is the e-newsletter editor of Nautilus.