There is a wide variety of life in the ocean, but most of them are animals, and there are fewer species of aquatic plants. Most animals in the ocean forage independently, but there is no shortage of creatures that use the convenience of other animals to obtain food through parasitism, such as the "parasitic devil" barnacles.
Barnacles prefer to parasitize some animals that move slower, and instead of getting feed directly from parasitic animals, they use the convenience of other animals to better forage for food. Common barnacles parasitize animals such as turtles and whales, which also attach to the bottom of ships on the surface of the sea. Usually on a fixture such as a seaside rock, it is easier to attach barnacles.
Because after the barnacles grow into adults, they lose the ability to move. Being able to attach to a moving object requires certain conditions. Outwardly, barnacles have a calcareous shell that resembles a cone shape. Barnacles are able to move, can look for suitable parasites, and after finding an object suitable for attachment, barnacles will secrete gelatinous substances to adhere to the body to the fixator.
Sometimes the fixators found are not suitable for long-term adhesion, and they can fall off to change places before the final fixation is determined. And if you find the right fixture, it will completely adhere to the body. The adhesion is stable enough not to be easily separated, and the barnacles will live their lives here.
Adult barnacles generally have a fixed place, and they can no longer move freely. For the convenience of reproduction, barnacles are mostly clustered in one area. Barnacles initially adhere to the rocks, how do they parasitize turtles and whales? Turtles crawl and swim very slowly, and barnacles have the opportunity to fall on the turtles to absorb them.
But whales swim faster, and barnacles naturally can't swim on their own. It can be adsorbed because whales collide and rub rock walls and other barnacles where they gather.
The time when the barnacles are larvae coincides with the period when whales mate and gather. Whales gather in large numbers during the mating season, and they will collide with rock walls and other places where barnacles are attached, where barnacles larvae wait for the whales to arrive. Barnacles that land on whales also develop faster, and these larvae grow and multiply on the surface of whales, and more barnacles are on whales.
But whales are inherently heavy enough that even if the barnacles breed an additional mass of 500 kilograms, their swimming will not be much affected. Some barnacles are on the whale's genitals or on their sides, and barnacles growing in these places can cause discomfort to the whale, and the whale will throw off the barnacles by bumping or rubbing against obstacles.
There are not many whales attached to barnacles, and it is indeed not an easy task for barnacles to grow on whales all the time. But it is much easier to attach to the turtle, which moves slowly and is easily attached to barnacles. After attachment, the barnacles cannot be easily shaken off, and the accumulation of more will also affect the turtle's feeding.
Some turtles were unable to feed because they were attached to barnacles and eventually starved to death. Turtles, unlike whales, can swim at high speeds or rub other things to rub off barnacles. Turtles with barnacles attached to them will naturally remain attached and will not be able to clean them up on their own.
However, it is not difficult to manually remove the barnacles attached to the turtles, this creature is just attached to the turtle and can be shoveled off with a shovel. Barnacles are not like a parasite, but more like an adhesion organism. Perhaps its greater impact is still adhered to large ships, port equipment, such as ships moored in ports, the bottom of the ship is easy to attach barnacles.
The shell of the equipment attached to the barnacles will be affected and need to be cleaned up in time. This crustacean is also an ingredient, and it can be artificially farmed barnacles taking advantage of its easy adhesion to the bottom of the ship. If you are salvaging barnacles, you also need special equipment. Barnacles grow on many reefs and are more difficult to collect.