Goose barnacle

Arthropoda – Cirripedia

Goose barnacles are distinguished from acorn barnacles by having a tough but flexible stalk. As larvae they are able to drift and attach themselves to various objects, including ram’s horn shells, cuttlebones and marine debris. Due to their mobile lifestyle, goose barnacles are found throughout Australian waters and some have a worldwide distribution.

Did you know?

The goose barnacle gets its name from a European legend, which states that barnacles drifting ashore attached to logs were the egg cases of geese. Geese migrated south each winter and did not appear to nest on land.