![]() ![]() close to shore) or b) settling on a moving substrate such as a sea turtle.Įven though barnacles are quite safely attached, barnacles actually are capable of moving as adults! They most likely achieve this through an extension of their cemented base as well as through muscle activity. As sessile creatures they can achieve that by a) settling in an area with pronounced water movement (e.g. Once settled, the barnacle develops into an adult and attaches in various ways: gripping the skin, cementing to the shell or boring into it.Īdult barnacles are filter feeders, thus benefit from a constant flow of water around them. cup-shaped attachment organs on the antennae. The cyprid larvae has special attachment devices which allow it to hold onto the substrate, e.g. This is the stage which settles on a new substrate. After the first six different so-called nauplius larvae, a seventh non-feeding larva develops: the cyprid. These early life stages are still mobile and facilitate further distribution. Green turtle with a single barnacle, Maldives ©Stephanie Köhnk.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |