Mud sagartias have a nondescript colored column, which you rarely see since only the tentacles stick out of the bottom. Unlike the column, the tentacles are very colorful. Although you don't see it, the anemone is often attached to small shells or stones in the sand. During a storm or rapid currents, mud sagartias sometimes break loose from the sea bottom and wash on to the beach as slimy balls. When a mud sagartia is frightened, it retracts quickly into the sea bottom.