Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing goose barnacles. Goose barnacles are also known as gooseneck barnacles and stalked barnacles. The name goose barnacle comes from the myth that barnacle geese come from goose barnacles. See how the white shells look like the white parts of a barnacle goose’s face? At the time, it was unknown how barnacle geese reproduced, so when the goose barnacles were described they were thought to be the early life stages of barnacle geese. Now it's known that goose barnacles are in fact crustaceans. While these stalked animals may seem related to a clam, they're actually more closely related to crabs! In fact, goose barnacle meat is described to taste sort of like lobster!

Goose barnacles are arthropods. Unlike acorn barnacles who look like small volcanoes with a beak inside, goose barnacles are stalked and could be mistaken for a clam because of their large, white calcareous shells. They're split into two sections, the head and the stalk. The head, called the capitulum, is where the clam-like shells house the barnacle's body; and the stalk, called the peduncle, looks like a flexible goose's neck: hence the common name gooseneck barnacle. Like acorn barnacles, goose barnacles use feathery, jointed legs, called cirri, for catching food! Food for goose barnacles includes plankton and detritus and they'll often take larger meals than their acorn barnacle relatives. As they eat, they grow, and as they grow they have to shed their exoskeleton, located inside the white shells. A goose barnacle's shell can reach two inches (5cm) long, and their stalk can reach over two and a half feet (76cm)!

Currently, there is no longer a single group of animals commonly known as "the" goose barnacles. Their taxonomic order was split up into many orders and suborders, so this episode is just generally talking about the barnacles commonly known as goose barnacles and stalked barnacles. We can get more specific in later episodes! Goose barnacles are often found adrift at sea attached to floating debris like driftwood. They also attach to hard surfaces like rocks. Goose barnacles can also be found connected to other animals like loggerhead sea turtles. The barnacles can become so heavy they end up weighing the animal down! On the other hand, loggerheads eat goose barnacles. Other goose barnacle predators include gulls, sea stars, and even people! They're considered a delicacy in some areas.

Most goose barnacles are hermaphrodites meaning they possess both male and female reproductive organs. Still, they need a partner to produce fertile offspring. Luckily for them, they're often found in huge groups, so finding a partner is no problem. They release sperm into the water column and another barnacle takes the sperm in, thus fertilizing that barnacle's eggs. Their broods can be under 100,000 to over 200,000 eggs! Goose barnacles can release larvae anytime of the year and often do so multiple times. Their larvae are planktonic at first but settle after a month with adults of their species. This is why they're always seen in huge groups! Goose barnacles can live to be twenty years old!

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