Barnacle: Difference between revisions

The barnacle is in infraclass Cirripedia. The name Cirripedia is actually derived from Latin and translates to the term "Joint Footed".[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnacles] If you don't know much about barnacles then you should know that they are  [[sessile]], [[filter feeding]] animals covered in calcereous plates that stick to surfaces such as rocks or ships.[http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/ciriipedia/cirripedia.htm]  They are in the same family as [[crabs]] and [[lobsters]], and they are very hard to remove from the surfaces they are attached to.  Sailors regard them as a major problem because when vast quantities attach themselves to ships it creates a major problem for both the sailors and the boat.  However sailors can cover the boat in a [[copper]] bottom oxide that keeps the larval stage of barnacles away from the boat.  Of course not all barnacles cling to boats, rocks, and other surfaces.  Some species are parasites and can infest themselves in crabs.  Barnacles are amazing creatures and I marvel at the Creator when ever I look at them.[http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/factsheets/597barnacle.html]