Barnacles are an interesting marine species. Barnacles belong to the crustacean family, along with crabs and crayfish. They are arthropods, or invertebrates. Barnacles are unusual in that stand on their head and eat with their feet.
Barnacles live only in marine or saltwater environments. They prefer a rocky habitat. Barnacles can attach themselves in dense clusters to rocks, ships and even large animals. They live on hard surfaces at all latitudes at all depths from the intertidal zone to the deep sea. Barnacles in the intertidal region spend part of their day, during low tide, without seawater around them. Barnacles can also attach themselves to living things like whales, turtles, and manatees. Barnacle larva swim secrete a glue-like substance …show more content…
First kind is Lepas, a gooseneck barnacle and the second kind is Balanus, an acorn barnacle. Acorn barnacles are the usual barnacles, which have an ovalish opening on the top of its shell. Gooseneck barnacles have leathery stalks and flattened shells, looking like a small clam attached by its siphon. The main diet of barnacles are plankton. They filter water to retrieve their food. Barnacles feed on the food particles in the water. Predators of barnacles consist of worms, shorebirds, sea snails, and sea stars. Gooseneck barnacles are also eaten by humans. Most barnacles are hermaphrodites, with cross-fertilization between neighbors. Some species of barnacles have dwarf males, which are either parasitic on female or hermaphroditic individuals. The parents brood the larvae until they release them to swim as members of zooplankton in the ocean. The fertilized egg develops into a free-swimming larva, called a nauplius larva. of the basic crustacean type, with paired antennae. In the barnacle’s larval stage, it looks like tiny shrimp. The next stage is the Cyprid stage. This is a short stage, where the barnacle larvae search for a place to live. Finally, in the adult stage, they settle somewhere by sticking to a rock or living ocean animal. The barnacle secretes six calcium-hard plates which encases them. Four more plates are added and form a “door” that the barnacles can open and close. This process takes only six
Barnacles live only in marine or saltwater environments. They prefer a rocky habitat. Barnacles can attach themselves in dense clusters to rocks, ships and even large animals. They live on hard surfaces at all latitudes at all depths from the intertidal zone to the deep sea. Barnacles in the intertidal region spend part of their day, during low tide, without seawater around them. Barnacles can also attach themselves to living things like whales, turtles, and manatees. Barnacle larva swim secrete a glue-like substance …show more content…
First kind is Lepas, a gooseneck barnacle and the second kind is Balanus, an acorn barnacle. Acorn barnacles are the usual barnacles, which have an ovalish opening on the top of its shell. Gooseneck barnacles have leathery stalks and flattened shells, looking like a small clam attached by its siphon. The main diet of barnacles are plankton. They filter water to retrieve their food. Barnacles feed on the food particles in the water. Predators of barnacles consist of worms, shorebirds, sea snails, and sea stars. Gooseneck barnacles are also eaten by humans. Most barnacles are hermaphrodites, with cross-fertilization between neighbors. Some species of barnacles have dwarf males, which are either parasitic on female or hermaphroditic individuals. The parents brood the larvae until they release them to swim as members of zooplankton in the ocean. The fertilized egg develops into a free-swimming larva, called a nauplius larva. of the basic crustacean type, with paired antennae. In the barnacle’s larval stage, it looks like tiny shrimp. The next stage is the Cyprid stage. This is a short stage, where the barnacle larvae search for a place to live. Finally, in the adult stage, they settle somewhere by sticking to a rock or living ocean animal. The barnacle secretes six calcium-hard plates which encases them. Four more plates are added and form a “door” that the barnacles can open and close. This process takes only six