Right now at night we are reading through a book on coastal waters. Last night we learned a bit about barnacles. Barnacles TEND to spend their lives attached to an object, but before they do that they float through the water and are attracted to other barnacles (my guess is through smell in the water?) That's just a guess though, I'll need to do more research on it.
ANYWAYS, the lad asked .. MOM.. how do barnacles breed?
I said "I THINK, they release their eggs and sperm into the water, kinda like other fishy type critters do...but I'd have to look it up to be sure". This led of course to other questions about how animals breed... such as frogs, worms, and such like. I told him I"d look it all up, make a blog post of it so that it was all right at hand for him in the morning.
So... JUST HOW do barnacles breed? Well here's a video of them doing it.... No sound, just barnacles breeding.
ANYWAYS, the lad asked .. MOM.. how do barnacles breed?
I said "I THINK, they release their eggs and sperm into the water, kinda like other fishy type critters do...but I'd have to look it up to be sure". This led of course to other questions about how animals breed... such as frogs, worms, and such like. I told him I"d look it all up, make a blog post of it so that it was all right at hand for him in the morning.
So... JUST HOW do barnacles breed? Well here's a video of them doing it.... No sound, just barnacles breeding.
From Science Daily we learn " Compelled to mate, yet firmly attached to the rock, barnacles have evolved the longest penis of any animal for their size - up to 8 times their body length - so they can find and fertilize distant neighbours."
From Washington Ed, this fascinating fact. "To be successful barnacles must have a strong stretchable penis. This means that all barnacles are hermaphrodites; both male and female at the same time. After mating season the penis is thrown away, and a new one is developed the next year. The eggs and sperm are stored in separate cavities months before fertilization. After fertilization occurs, the eggs hatch and the larvae stay with the mother until there is enough plankton in the spring."
Other interesting places to learn about barnacles
Animal Discovery.
Museum Victoria.
Barnacles of British Columbia.
Marine Bio.
I also learned the answer to another question the lad had. If you take a barnacle off mom, can it get back again? The answer is no. Once removed from whatever surface it is on, it cannot reattach itself.
and here's a short video on what barnacles look like when feeding.
From Washington Ed, this fascinating fact. "To be successful barnacles must have a strong stretchable penis. This means that all barnacles are hermaphrodites; both male and female at the same time. After mating season the penis is thrown away, and a new one is developed the next year. The eggs and sperm are stored in separate cavities months before fertilization. After fertilization occurs, the eggs hatch and the larvae stay with the mother until there is enough plankton in the spring."
Other interesting places to learn about barnacles
Animal Discovery.
Museum Victoria.
Barnacles of British Columbia.
Marine Bio.
I also learned the answer to another question the lad had. If you take a barnacle off mom, can it get back again? The answer is no. Once removed from whatever surface it is on, it cannot reattach itself.
and here's a short video on what barnacles look like when feeding.
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