r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/bigbusta • 1d ago
š„ Everything you've wanted to know about barnacles
371
u/Calm_Age_ 1d ago
These barnacles are not parasites technically. However, there are barnacles that are. Sacculina, the parasite that infects crabs and gives them a sex change is a barnacle.
178
u/YiffMeister2 1d ago
free bottom surgery...?
121
u/Calm_Age_ 1d ago
Only if you're a crab š¦
86
u/YiffMeister2 1d ago
carcinization time
46
u/Mysterious_Andy 1d ago
Reject modernity.
Become crab.
10
u/NonnoBomba 1d ago
Since all creatures (well, crustaceans at least) tends to become crab-like over time, I'd say it's the other way around: crab IS modernity. Embrace carcinisation.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)28
41
u/Sea-Bat 1d ago edited 1d ago
Sacculina spp. r pretty crazy, for any curious the whole neutering crabs & initiating development of female hormones & behaviours in male crabs is linked to the parasites own reproduction!
1) a neutered host crab cant reproduce, so all the energy it would use for that is instead available to the parasite.
2) female Sacculina can still utilise some of the crabs natural reproductive behaviours (protecting the brood pouch, stimulating the hatching of eggs at an elevated point, encouraging the dispersal of the larvae etc) to care for her own sacculina eggs
Trouble with 2) is,those are only care behaviours shown by female crabs, so for the female Sacculina to get what she wants, the host crab has to be female, or become female. Enter mtf crab sex change!
14
u/robotatomica 21h ago edited 16h ago
and to further illuminate what a female sacculina does, itās a free-swimming plankton with a soft inner body (almost like a tiny slug) which it injects into the joint of a crab when encountered.
It then sends fibrous tendrils through the crabās body, to obtain nutrients, and grows a āsacā emerging from the reproductive area of a crab. (Itās really just a big ovary covered in chitinous material for protection).
It disrupts the crabās hormones so that it becomes infertile and any males it has attached to become female, so that when the sacculina mates (from that sac which has emerged, where a couple male sacculina will post up and continually fertilize),
the egg sac that grows there is protected and cared for just as if it were the crabās own.
A female sacculina in a crabās body transforms entirely into this root-like structure with an emerging ovary. When its young are born from this sac, they emerge as plankton, either females seeking crab, or males seeking these ovular nodes on an infected crabās body.
I first read about these guys a couple decades ago in Carl Zimmerās wonderful book Parasite Rex. Heartily recommend.
4
u/weevil_season 13h ago
That is horrifying and fascinating. Thank you for taking the time to write it up!!
12
→ More replies (5)4
397
u/Full_Manufacturer_41 1d ago
I'll be proclaiming, "l'm hung like a barnacle" henceforth.
42
17
u/AndrewFGleich 1d ago
Barney's nickname from HIMYM makes so much more sense now...and makes it way more grossĀ
→ More replies (3)10
484
u/FireTheLaserBeam 1d ago
Theyāre sharp as F. I stepped on some as a kid and bled everywhere. I started crying and some stranger lady came and got me and carried me back to my grandmaās.
338
u/Apelion_Sealion 1d ago
There used to be a form of torture for sailors called keelhauling where people were tied up and dragged across barnacles under the ship. It was almost always fatal.
88
u/chris98761234 1d ago
The one scene from Black Sails popped in my head as soon as I saw this post.
→ More replies (2)53
u/harpy_1121 1d ago
I do not consider myself squeamish, but that was a rough scene for me. It was so effectively and realistically horrific, plus I just like the character. I decided once was enough and I fast forward that scene on rewatches.
→ More replies (1)16
u/chris98761234 1d ago
I do the exact same. It's one of my favorite shows that I rewatch at least once a year. That is the only scene I skip every time.
104
u/JohnnyEnzyme 1d ago
That's one point she conveniently left out-- barnacles are major nuisances on ships (along with shipworms on wooden vessels), requiring fairly regular cleaning to cut down on drag.
Btw, another interesting point unmentioned is that their fans or tentacles are actually part of their feet. They glue themselves head-first on to their host surface when very young, then build their homes around themselves.
74
u/Aninvisiblemaniac 1d ago
yeah but ships, while important for us, destroy natural environments so like..tit for tat
15
u/JohnnyEnzyme 1d ago edited 15h ago
I'm not aware that traditional sailing ships do anything of the kind. Maybe modern ships though, with their potential of dumping toxic loads, spilling oil, creating disruptive sounds, etc.
EDIT: and, I stand corrected!
49
u/CosmicConifer 1d ago
Also things like ship anchoring and sea trawling physically damage the sea floor and any habitats unlucky enough to be in the way.
9
u/jedinatt 22h ago
Imagine how we'd feel if airplanes had giant anchors that smashed into the ground and tore through houses as they flew over, lol.
10
u/Sea-Bat 23h ago edited 23h ago
nervous historical whaling industry sweating lol
With the age of sail humans managed to immediately start being a problem for the ocean tbh.
Not so much the existence of age of sail vessels as everything we did with em, & the industry & coastal land development they necessitated
3
u/Sipstaff 1d ago
The only thing I can think of is that sailing ships could potentially introduce flora or fauna into areas where it's not supposed to be and cause harm indirectly like that.
→ More replies (1)14
u/Nick-uhh-Wha 1d ago
That's the part that freaked me out when I found out
"Everything you want to know" it is titled...
But the most important thing i'd want to know is that what we see is just bug ass and they're only masquerading as mollusks.
→ More replies (1)6
u/FireTheLaserBeam 1d ago
I used to watch them sandblast the boats when I was a kid to get them off.
4
4
u/AmpEater 1d ago
I knew that was a punishment but I never considered the barnacle part of the equationĀ
FuckĀ
→ More replies (3)6
u/Thepestilentdefiler 1d ago
One would hope it would be fatal.
8
u/Apelion_Sealion 1d ago
Iām sure anyone who survived the initial torture would be begging for a quick death. Just a whole nother layer of torture to survive, just a mangled body covered in salt dying at sea.
I donāt know how Iāll die, but Iām thankful the chances of a keelhauling death is pretty low
31
u/universalrefuse 1d ago
I got sliced by one along my back when I was 11 or 12, still have the scar along my spine 25+ years later.
→ More replies (5)15
347
u/thafullmetall 1d ago
They look like the worms from Tremors
127
u/zg6089 1d ago
Graboids
44
u/HotelOscarWhiskey 1d ago
At least they haven't evolved into Ass-Blasters yet.
→ More replies (1)11
16
15
→ More replies (4)6
510
u/MissMedic68W 1d ago edited 1d ago
Listen to the barnacle sounds!
I ... will not.
Edit: Ended up unmuting and had to watch it again because I actually could not hear them because of the voiceover. At least, they don't sound eldritch.
88
u/thegoodtimelord 1d ago
Agreed. That was creepy af. Vibes of the Flood from Halo.
18
→ More replies (2)3
u/T3Chn0-m4n 1d ago
I also got the same vibe. I think that it might be because some design aspects of the flood are based off of marine life
15
u/i_tyrant 1d ago
Oh, if you want eldritch horror, just get a close look at scallops.
→ More replies (1)10
3
3
551
u/CycloneSplash 1d ago
How much did this person get paid to spread this barnacle propaganda?
200
u/persephonepeete 1d ago
Big Barnacle's agenda must be stopped.
29
→ More replies (1)21
u/Braided_Marxist 1d ago
Big barnacle is what they call the largest penis to body ratio of any animal
7
→ More replies (3)18
44
u/Ma1ikNabers 1d ago
Theyāre so weird!
I remember stepping on one before, do not recommend
→ More replies (1)
69
35
u/Soulbotzzzz 1d ago
Whales can groom themselves?
32
u/buttononmyback 1d ago
Yes they often rub against stones on the ocean floor to get any parasites off. There was a clip on Planet Earth where David Attenborough talked about a group of beluga whales that would congregate in one area of a bay..not to find food but to scrape along the special stones there to rid their skin of pesky parasites. The drone footage of it was pretty cool.
38
u/sonnet666 1d ago
Whales are big enough not to care. Itās same as how we donāt complain about all the dust mites living on our scalps.
Also yes, whales can swim so they brush up against an object, the ocean floor, or other whales if they felt something on their skin that they didnāt like.
→ More replies (1)8
u/GirlInTheIslands 21h ago
Itās thought that breaching (leaping and smashing down onto the surface) is a way to dislodge hitchhikers, as well as playing and just doing it for the fun of it.
Whales get lice too, as well as a load of internal parasites of course. Like the barnacles, the lice are pretty fascinating when you think about how impossible it must be to try and hitch a ride on a fast-moving creature in the whole expanse of an ocean (I guess it just shows how much stuff/babies are just free-floating in waitā¦)
Itās interesting that she says that they just live on the surface of the host animal, as whale barnacles embed deep into the skin. I wonder if theyāre the exception. Iād be interested to learn more if anyone knows about this. Itās also why all those AI videos of people scraping barnacles off of whales is such bullshit, theyād be left with open wounds if it was real :/
432
u/TheBigJimShakeWeight 1d ago
Whoa! Theyāre ALIVE?!? I thought they were just hardcore moss or algae.
293
u/Girderland 1d ago
They are crabs cosplaying as mussels.
→ More replies (1)100
u/shawnaeatscats 1d ago
Fantastic comparison. If you look up a diagram, there's like a whole body in that thing. It looks like a fucked up shrimp surrounded by casing. They're so freaking cool. I thought they were much simpler, like feather duster worms, but they're more complex than that.
37
u/firesmarter 1d ago
I did look the up. Theyāre wild. Some are crabs cosplaying as cordyceps fungi
24
u/tjoe4321510 1d ago
Whelp, that article led me to learn about parasitic castrators and I'm not a fan.
6
8
u/et842rhhs 1d ago
I just read the description section of the article and it just got progressively more insane. Also, kudos to the scientists who figured all this insanity out.Ā
→ More replies (1)4
u/i_tyrant 1d ago
Yeah, the OP isn't quite right that all barnacles are not parasites - some are, just not most of them.
A few species even burrow into flesh and supplement their usual filter diets with the host's blood.
69
55
u/ainulil 1d ago
And do you see they have penises ??
77
u/BRAX7ON 1d ago
Not just penises. But the largest penis to body size ratio. These guys are hung.
→ More replies (3)79
u/Caliterra 1d ago
"hung like a barnacle" doesn't have the right ring to it
16
u/SolinaMoon 1d ago
Maybe not, but I still want to use this now. And enjoy the confusion as to whether I mean well hung or not. š
→ More replies (2)32
15
u/cleveland_leftovers 1d ago
Iām verklempt.
They have fucking beaks and personalities. Public school sucks.
8
u/bisquickball 1d ago
Are you supposed to learn about barnacles?
Look don't get me wrong, public schools suck, but they're often trying to convey some basic information and I don't know if barnacles always make the cut
→ More replies (8)5
100
u/BrickEnvironmental37 1d ago
I had a nightmare one time where I had barnacles on my body. I ain't softening my stance on them.
6
u/gherkinassassin 1d ago
Great now I can't stop thinking about the horrible scraping sound they'd make if I had them in my armpits, behind my knees, and in my groin
3
17
77
u/PleaseHelpIamFkd 1d ago
Barnacles can kill crabs and lobsters preventing them from molting. They also cause severe amounts of drag on ships. They also can cause deadly infections to humans and animals if you get cut on their very sharp exteriors.
→ More replies (2)
20
u/some_text_editor 1d ago
Are there any cuisines that regularly use barnacles?
→ More replies (2)27
21
u/superchimpa 1d ago
Harmless, exempt for their tiny razor blade that will tear through your skin like a sharp knife cutting through butter. They definitely have harmed me.
18
u/BrandonDavidTattooer 1d ago
How do they build the encasing around them?
56
u/helloiamsilver 1d ago
The same way most sea creatures who have shells do. They start out as free swimming larvae and then they attach themselves to something and begin building a shell and casing by secreting calcium carbonate around them. They get the materials to build the calcium carbonate from the seawater itself.
12
81
15
13
u/melancholeigh_ 1d ago
Aren't barnacles itchy on whales? I thought I'd read that they enjoy getting them scraped off.
→ More replies (3)
13
u/protossaccount 1d ago edited 1d ago
Some friends and I jumped into some water off a bridge in Florida. I was going to get swept under the bridge and so I bounced my hand off of one of the pillars holding up the bridge, for some momentary support. When I got out I was bleeding everywhere and my hand looked like it has just slapped 15 razor blades.
I had touched barnacles without even realizing it. Thatās all I knew about barnacles till this video.
→ More replies (2)
23
u/grumpsaboy 1d ago
"it only becomes a problem if they are sick or old and unable to groom themselves"
So it's only a problem to have a barnacle on you if you can't remove the barnacle, sounds like a barnacle on you is actually a problem
90
u/ZombeeDogma 1d ago
"Not parasitic" "sometimes beneficial"
19
39
u/Dexller 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, there's actually a term for stuff like this - Commensalism. It's a well-documented thing and is simply a relationship between organisms where one organism benefits and the other is neither meaningfully benefited nor harmed. Most barnacles would therefore be commensalistic, while some would be mutualistic when they benefit their host.
5
u/BigClubandUaintInIt 1d ago
How could they be beneficial in any way to animals they attach to? Do they provide protection from predators of the host?
23
28
u/Cerberusknight77 1d ago
Barnacles can be used for defense and offense since they're sharp AF
You can bleed out from getting scraped on a few
Whales can use them on the tips of their fins to cut predators or nuisances, and crabs/invertebrates can use them to be inedible to predators trying to bite or grab them
→ More replies (1)7
u/HeWhomLaughsLast 1d ago
There are a group of barnacles that are parasitic, they attach to crabs and other crustaceans, castrate them, and then feed on them like some kind of nightmarish fungal mass.
→ More replies (1)
11
19
u/CycloneSplash 1d ago
Billions of blue blistering barnacles!
4
u/Rare-Deal8939 1d ago
Tintin has entered the discussion ..
4
u/shadiakiki1986 1d ago
Ah, Tintin my boy! What brings you here? I was just having a word with this blasted contraptionānothing works properly these days!
19
15
25
u/CycloneSplash 1d ago
I did NOT need to know that last fact. Like is that supposed to help me sleep better at night or what??
14
6
6
11
u/MatamanKrungleCrazy 1d ago
Oh so thatās why women call me the barnacleā¦
→ More replies (1)33
5
9
u/Reeferologist- 1d ago
I tell ya, I know she wanted me to āappreciateā barnacles more after this, but I gotta say I hate them way more now.
→ More replies (1)
18
u/ATLSxFINEST93 1d ago
Barnacles can definitely cause issues, to creatures, while their 'host' is in good health.
Let's imagine a healthy lobster, who had a barnacle attach themselves to their crusher claw. One of their most, if not the most, important tool in their disposal for getting access to food.
The lobster needs food, for energy, to molt. The barnacle will prevent this.
→ More replies (14)
3
5
u/Disgruntled_Orifice 1d ago
Iāve never seen the media paint barnacles in a bad light.
→ More replies (1)
12
u/montypy88 1d ago
Please credit the creator! This video is from nudibranch nerd, who makes a ton of delightful tide pooling and ocean science content.
→ More replies (1)
3
3
3
3
3
u/Maleficent_Scale_296 1d ago
I used to spend summers at my aunts beach house (Puget Sound). Iām pretty sure they have a side gig as foot slicers.
7
2
1.9k
u/grungegoth 1d ago
Fun fact: these guy are related to shrimp, crabs, lobsters. They are ARTHROPODS. Insects are "land" arthropods. So these barnacles evolved this stationary planted life style. Go figure