MSN: Why are whales and turtles often covered with barnacles, and do the barnacles hurt their hosts?
Why are whales and turtles often covered with barnacles, and do the barnacles hurt their hosts?
Barnacles are arthropods of the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebrates; many species live in shallow and tidal waters. Some 2,100 species have been described.
Barnacles (balanus glandula) are sticky little crustaceans related to crabs, lobsters, and shrimps.
However, barnacles are unequivocally crustaceans, belonging to the subphylum Crustacea, making them relatives of crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. Their sessile, or stationary, adult lifestyle is a remarkable adaptation that sets them apart from most of their mobile kin.
Barnacles are sessile marine crustaceans closely linked to crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. They are part of the subclass Cirripedia, which falls under the larger subphylum Crustacea.
These tiny creatures are crustaceans, closely related to crabs and lobsters, and they’ve evolved some wild adaptations for life in the intertidal zone. Barnacles attach to a surface once and stay put for life.
Burrowing barnacles (order Acrothoracica, about 30 species) are small, unisexual forms that lack shells and have fewer than six pairs of cirri. They burrow into hard limy material, such as clam shells and coral.