Although most people associate pom-pom anemones to the likes of a pretty flower or puffy purple troll hair, this species’ appearance can range from fluffy to flat. They can either be fixed to a substrate – ranging from soft sands to hard rocks, and even whale skeletons – or unlike other anemones, unattached and tumbling across the seafloor propelled by the ocean currents. They are a deep-water species most commonly found in the north east Pacific Ocean, at depths from 100 to 1000 metres but have been recorded at depths of over 3000 metres! Pom-pom anemones are also known to occur near hydrothermal vents, cold seeps and whale falls. 

While on expedition in the Central Coast of British Columbia, we spotted a wall of pom-pom anemones at almost 400 metres deep!