---
title: Haddon's sea anemone (Stichodactyla haddoni)
scientific_name: Stichodactyla haddoni
common_name: Haddon's sea anemone
taxon: Sea anemones
published: 2025-08-16T12:53:56.885Z
updated: 2026-08-08T21:30:17.069Z
tags: Haddon's sea anemone, Stichodactyla haddoni, Sea anemones, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/invertebrate/stinging/sea-anemones/haddons-sea-anemone
---

# Haddon's sea anemone (*Stichodactyla haddoni*)

## Quick facts

- **Group:** Sea anemones (*Actiniaria*)
- **Size:** 50 - 80 cm
- **Diet:** Carnivore
- **Activity:** Diurnal
- **Rarity:** Uncommon
- **Habitat:** Sand and rubble flats, column buried in the substrate
- **Reproduction:** Broadcast spawner, Gonochoric
- **Hazard:** Venomous, Poisonous

## How to recognise it

- dense carpet of short tentacles, sticky to the touch
- tentacles of two lengths giving a mottled surface
- sits flat on sand with the column buried
- disc 50 to 80 cm across

Stichodactyla haddoni, widely known as Haddon's sea anemone or Carpet Anemone, is a distinctive species of sea anemone in the family Stichodactylidae, primarily found across the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, stretching from Mauritius to Fiji and the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan to Australia.

With its striking appearance, Stichodactyla haddoni features a folded oral disc that spans between 50 and 80 centimeters (20 to 31 inches) in diameter, and a tentacle-free central area measuring 1 to 2 centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) across. Its tentacles, which have rounded tips and varying colors such as green, yellow, gray, and occasionally blue or pink, exhibit a pattern of alternating short and long lengths around the disc. The column, the part of the anemone visible when it is contracted, is covered with small non-sticky bumps called verrucae, usually matching the column's color and blending seamlessly with it. The overall tentacle hue tends to be yellowish or tan.

Stichodactyla haddoni thrives on sandy ocean floors, and while it is a passive organism, it obtains nourishment primarily through two methods. It engages in a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae, microscopic algae that perform photosynthesis in its tissues. Additionally, it captures prey such as small invertebrates and juvenile fish using its tentacles, which deliver immobilizing toxins like SHTX.

Haddon's sea anemone is also known for its mutualistic relationships with several species of clownfish, including Amphiprion akindynos, Amphiprion chrysogaster, Amphiprion chrysopterus, Amphiprion clarkii, Amphiprion polymnus, and [Amphiprion sebae](/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/clownfishes/sebae-clownfish). Juvenile [Dascyllus trimaculatus](/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/pomacentridae/tree-spot-dascylus) are also known to associate with the anemone. Other marine creatures, like the porcelain crab Neopetrolisthes maculatus and shrimp from the genus Periclimenes as well as Thor amboinensis, often interact with Stichodactyla haddoni, although these relationships are usually commensal rather than beneficial to the anemone.

In Thailand, Stichodactyla haddoni is intriguingly nicknamed "Hed lub," translating to "bob up and down mushroom," due to its resemblance to a mushroom. On islands like Ko Samui and Ko Pha-ngan, the anemone is occasionally used in a local dish called Kaeng kua, despite being a protected species in the country.

## Also known as

- **English:** carpet anemone, Grapeshot Carpet Anemone, Haddon's anemone, Haddon's sea anemone
- **French:** Anémone de Haddon
- **Italian:** anemone tappeto di haddon
- **German:** Haddons Anemone, Teppichanemone
- **Portuguese:** Anêmona-carpete-de-Haddon
- **Czech:** sasanka kobercová
- **Japanese:** イボハタゴイソギンチャク
- **Chinese:** 漢氏大海葵

## Scientific synonyms

- *Actinia (Isacmaea) gigantea* (Forskål)
- *Discosoma haddoni* Saville-Kent, 1893
- *Stoichactis haddoni* (Saville-Kent, 1893)

## Range

Australia, India, Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Singapore, South Pacific Ocean, Vietnam

---

*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/invertebrate/stinging/sea-anemones/haddons-sea-anemone)*
*Updated: August 8, 2026*