Which anemone has the most potent sting (to humans)?

MoshJosh · Dec 23, 2022

just curious. . . I'm sure I have been stung by my rock flower, mini carpet, and bubble tip but I couldn't feel a thing. Can any commonly kept nems hurt humans. Are any nems (kept in aquaria or just out in the wild) able to kill a human (not counting anaphylaxis)?

Jekyl · Dec 23, 2022

@Eagle_Steve

ISpeakForTheSeas · Dec 23, 2022

MoshJosh said:
just curious. . . I'm sure I have been stung by my rock flower, mini carpet, and bubble tip but I couldn't feel a thing. Can any commonly kept nems hurt humans. Are any nems (kept in aquaria or just out in the wild) able to kill a human (not counting anaphylaxis)?

I'm not sure which is the most potent, but there are quite a few that could hurt humans, including at least one or two that are commonly kept (such as the Haddoni Anemone) - and yes, some could kill you without you suffering from anaphylaxis:

"A few species possess highly toxic venoms and are hazardous for humans. The Hell’s Fire sea anemone (Actinodendron plumosum) is named for the severe skin ulceration caused by its sting [10,20]. Envenomation by the sea anemone Stichodactyla haddoni caused shock and organ failure, including fulminant hepatitis [22,24]. Phyllodiscus semoni (P. semoni) is another sea anemone dangerous to humans. The sting usually induces severe dermatitis with ulceration and profound swelling in the regions of contact [18,21]. More serious sequelae of envenomation by P. semoni include the development of acute renal failure without evidence of dysfunction of other organs [18]."

Some Condylactis anemones are also somewhat dangerous, but I'm not sure of which species at the moment.

My source:

Exploiting the Nephrotoxic Effects of Venom from the Sea Anemone, Phyllodiscus semoni, to Create a Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Model in the Rat

In the natural world, there are many creatures with venoms that have interesting and varied activities. Although the sea anemone, a member of the phylum Coelenterata, has venom that it uses to capture and immobilise small fishes and shrimp and for protection ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

vetteguy53081 · Dec 23, 2022

Haddoni and rose anemones

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Dec 23, 2022

Regarding some of the less potent/toxic anemones (aiptasia, majano, bubble tip, condy, etc), I think some of it comes down to how sensitive any individual is to the particular nematocysts. A nem that causes me skin irritation may not affect you at all, and visa versa.

dennis romano · Dec 23, 2022

Hell's Fire anemone. It is reported to cause massive painful long lasting welts on humans.

Rtaylor · Dec 23, 2022

As far as commonly kept anemones, the only one that gives me a noticeable sting and leaves red welts on me personally is h.Magnifica. But, each person is different and can react differently to anemone stings.

vaguelyreeflike · Dec 24, 2022

MoshJosh said:
just curious. . . I'm sure I have been stung by my rock flower, mini carpet, and bubble tip but I couldn't feel a thing. Can any commonly kept nems hurt humans. Are any nems (kept in aquaria or just out in the wild) able to kill a human (not counting anaphylaxis)?

Not true anemones but we had wild caught australian elegances and my god could you tell it was from australia. Immediate sting on impact and felt like it bit me at first lol. Stung for about an hour after. Other than that, we had two 9-10” bubble tips surrendered to us and they got me pretty good too, though i have yet to feel worse than the elegance.

vaguelyreeflike · Dec 24, 2022

MoshJosh said:
just curious. . . I'm sure I have been stung by my rock flower, mini carpet, and bubble tip but I couldn't feel a thing. Can any commonly kept nems hurt humans. Are any nems (kept in aquaria or just out in the wild) able to kill a human (not counting anaphylaxis)?

as others stated, it really depends on your skin too. Some people have (literal) thicker skin. I personally have very sensitive skin and usually have eczema on my hands and arms, which equals raw skin, so bubble tips and really any nem can do me good for a few minutes to an hour. Other people probably not as much.