nematocysts

Updated: May 20, 2025

Some crabs wield an anemone firmly grasped in each claw, the stinging nematocysts of the parasite warding off the devilish octopus, and the anemone having a share of the crab's meals and the pleasure of vicarious transportation. The anemone at the mouth of the shell keeps guard at the weakest spot of the hermit's armor.

Frederick O'Brien - Mystic Isles of the South Seas.