6070 x 4029 px | 51,4 x 34,1 cm | 20,2 x 13,4 inches | 300dpi
Date de la prise de vue:
16 mars 2012
Lieu:
French Creek, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, BC, Canada.
Informations supplémentaires:
At high tide the shell opens and the barnacle begins to feed. Long comb-like legs are swept backwards and forwards to catch little organisms. Living fixed on one spot has its disadvantages. It is more difficult to find a partner to mate. The barnacle has overcome the problem in a really spectacular way. From its shell the male barnacle projects a penis so huge it is many times the size of the owner. It is simply breathtaking to see how the organ finds its way between the neighbors searching for the ideal partner. Living fixed on one spot has its disadvantages. It is more difficult to find a partner to mate. The barnacle has overcome the problem in a really spectacular way. From its shell the male barnacle projects a penis so huge it is many times the size of the owner. It is simply breathtaking to see how the organ finds its way between the neighbors searching for the ideal partner. A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive settings. They are sessile (non-motile) suspension feeders, and have two nektonic (active swimming) larval stages. Around 1, 220 barnacle species are currently known. The name "Cirripedia" is Latin, meaning "curl-footed". Barnacles are encrusters, attaching themselves permanently to a hard substrate. The most common, "acorn barnacles" (Sessilia), are sessile, growing their shells directly onto the substrate. The order Pedunculata ("goose barnacles" and others) attach themselves by means of a stalk. Most barnacles are suspension feeders; they dwell continually in their shell – which is usually constructed of six plates – and reach into the water column with modified legs. These feathery appendages beat rhythmically to draw plankton and detritus into the shell for consumption.
