So far this week, we have looked at a couple of very cute animals with the wombat and the koala bear. I figured I would take a different turn with today’s fact and talk about Barnacles. That’s right the thing you find on the side of your boat. Believe it or not, they really are animals! Go ahead and look it up if you don’t believe me.
Barnacles are a type of crustacean so they are related to crabs and lobsters. Personally, I would prefer to chow down on a nice tasty lobster but that is just me. Juvenile barnacles are actually free floating until they decide to attach themselves to something nearby such as a rock or a boat. They have to choose very wisely though since they will remain in that spot for the rest of their lives. I thought the koala bear and the wombat were lazy for sleeping for 18 hours. Barnacles don’t move for the majority of their life. Now that is lazy! Some barnacles can be parasitic but most are suspension feeders that sit in the water column and draw particles into them using tiny, feathery appendages. These feathery appendages are basically modified legs. Who would have thought that barnacles actually have legs!
So how do these little crustaceans manage to stay stuck onto these objects? Wow, thank you for such a thought provoking question. Believe it or not, free floating crustaceans (remember, these are the juvenile barnacles) actually have a cement gland that can be found at the base of their antennae. Basically, they cement themselves onto whatever they feel like living on for the rest of their lives. You may have noticed that I said their cement gland was at the base of their antennae. So now, what do you think this means? That’s right, this means that most barnacles are technically hanging upside down. Did you know that barnacles were held in place by their heads? I think this might make barnacles one of the most headstrong animals that I know.
I hope you enjoyed today’s fact about barnacles. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for Friday’s Fun Wild Fact!
What a cool post (and hooray! I can comment again *grin*). Those little guys kind of lend a whole new meaning to the song, Stuck on You, don’t they?
LOL Jen!
I am glad you are able to comment again since I really enjoy the humour you add to my day!
Morning Nathan: Are these the same critters that are giving all the headaches to the biologist in the Great Lakes?
Jen, I have to admit I love reading your comments…it makes my morning.
Sharkbytes is right about barnacles being a salt water animal. I probably should have mentioned that in my post. I believe you are talking about the Zebra Mussel problem in the Great Lakes. This is a totally different issue but an important one nonetheless.
Have a good one!
Well, I did not know that they attach by their heads. Candy & Garry- Barnacles are salt water critters. So far, only some small populations seem to have adapted to freshwater.
I was surprised about them attaching by their heads as well. I guess I had never really given it much thought until now.
You are absolutely right about barnacles being salt water critters. I really should have mentioned that in the fact. Thanks for posting such relevant information.
Hi, I just stumbled across your website from clicking on your spike at cmfads and wanted to tell you that I really like this blog. It is so neat and so well organized and your picture choices for your animals are awesome. I normally don’t leave comments on all the other people’s blogs when I click the spikes because their blogs are so boring lol… but I like your blog here. I have only read the first page but I’ll be back for more. Animal facts are so much fun. Your blog reminds me of books about animals I used to read when I was growing up. I remember looking up animals in our old HUGE encyclopedia set and coming across your blog brought back memories of that.
I also wanted to tell you that I absolutely love the way your blog template looks. AWESOME JOB ON THAT!!!! I also built my website using Artisteer. Your header at the top of the page is “da bomb”….. I haven’t used that phrase since sometime in the late 90’s LOL. Your blog is really cool and I’m sure I will enjoy many visits here in the future.
Hi David and Welcome to Wild Facts!
Thank you so much for all the nice words. It is always nice to hear what readers think of Wild Facts. I know what you mean about the be HUGE encyclopedia set. For me, I remember getting books from the library on specific animals (for some reason I remember the Dolphin book) which were loaded with pictures and information. I use to love sitting in my cabin outside with my brother reading those books. Who knows, maybe that is why I turned out to be a Wildlife Biologist.
Your comments on the blog template are also timely as I was just thinking about changing some things up. Now, I am going to have to re-think my format changes! I don’t think I have heard anyone use the phrase “da bomb” since the 90’s. I think it might be time to bring that phrase back in!
If you ever have any questions about fish or wildlife then please don’t hesitate to ask away!
Thanks again for stopping by!
Woop this is awsome * 😛 *