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Starlet sea anemone found along the east coast of North America secretes a specific neurotoxin in its venom that’s vital to its defenses against a main predator, the grass shrimp.
Nv1 repels the shrimp and also attracts fish that prey on the crustaceans.
While Nv1-possessing anemones secreted the neurotoxin into the surrounding water, which strongly repelled shrimp and attracted the fish, when Nv1 was depleted, grass shrimp touched and trampled on the anemone.
Starlet sea anemones
The starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) is a tiny sea anemone.
It usually no more than 1.5 centimeters long.
It has a slender, translucent body with white markings that can resemble a star, hence its name.
Unlike most other sea anemones, the starlet sea anemone doesn't attach itself to rocks or coral.
Instead, it burrows itself in the muddy or sandy bottoms of shallow coastal waters, such as salt marshes, lagoons, and estuaries.
Starlet sea anemones are carnivores and use their tentacles to capture small prey, such as plankton and worms.
The tentacles have stinging cells that paralyze the prey before it is brought to the mouth.
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