Tuesday 10 July 2018

Indestructible Creatures/Barnacles



Hello everyone, it is another bloody cold day here, no rain or wind just cold and yes I have the heater going.

This Tuesday I am going to tell you a little about a pretty indestructible creature and the creature is the Barnacle which I am pretty sure everyone has heard of.

Barnacles are the whitish hard, pointy lumps that you find encrusted all over seaside rocks, piers and underside of boats. They are related to crabs and lobsters but live in an almost indestructible shell that's glues to a hard surface.

When underwater they open two door like things in its shell to reach out with its feathery feet to catch passing plankton and food scraps. When the tide is out or they feel threatened the close the doors and hide inside.

They are so rock hard you might think they are part of the rock they are attached to, the glue they use to stick to stuff is so strong that scientists are trying to copy the make up or recipe to make a new water resistant adhesive.

There are many species of barnacles, but only two are commonly eaten the gooseneck barnacle a tube like creature with very little shell, and the rock barnacle which is almost all shell.

Barnacles can cover a turtle to such an extent, that they can disable the flippers and cover the eyes and nostrils to such an extent, that the turtle is unable to swim, see, smell, or even survive.






11 comments:

  1. When it's cold in summer it's miserable isn't it ... barnacles are amazing - and more with the information you've given us ... cheers Hilary

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  2. It was interesting to know about Barnacles. It seems to be small but big enough to cover a turtle:)

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  3. Hi, Jo-Anne!

    Barnacles have always fascinated me and I appreciated the chance to learn more about them in this post. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of going to the seashore and seeing masses of barnacles attached to boat hulls, rocks and breakwater jetties. It would be great if scientists could produce the same kind of underwater super glue barnacles use. It never occurred to me that barnacles can cover, disable and kill turtles and other creatures.

    Keep warm and enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Jo-Anne!

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  4. I remember getting a bunch of shells that had barnacles on them. On an unrelated note, Scrappy just saw a toad on our porch during a rainstorm.

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  5. Poor turtles--attacked by barnacles! I never thought of the poor turtles.
    Barnackes really hurt to step on or fall against and can cut you.

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  6. Hilary..........Yes they are fascinating

    Weekend........I didn't think much about them before

    Shady..........Yes I remember seeing them as a child but never thought of them harming other creatures such as turtles

    Chris.......I would freak out if I saw a toad on my porch but since I do not have a porch not going to happen

    Rita..........I wouldn't like to step on one and I never thought of them doing damage to turtles

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  7. I have seen these barnacles on the beaches but didn't know that they can be so harmful to the turtles.

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  8. Quite interesting. We have no barnacles (that I know of) in Kansas but we have turtles. I wonder if our man made lakes might have a form of barnacle.

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  9. Dear Jo-anne, I knew about barnacles covering the bottoms of ships and piers, but I never knew they attached themselves to other living beings like turtles. That's a shock! Peace.

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  10. I've known of barnacles, of course, but never knew much about them.

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  11. Nancy............Same here

    Marlu............I wonder about that too, now that you mentioned it

    Dee.............Yes it was to me as well

    Karen..........Same here

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