Goose Barnacle

Have you ever seen a Goose in a barnacle?  
If you have it must have been the Goose Barnacle.

This picture of the Goose Barnacle was taken

at Bird Rock Tide Pools in La Jolla California

     This is the Goose Barnacle.  The goose barnacle should not be mistaken for the barnacle goose which is a water fowl.  A long time ago, people believed that the goose barnacles were mollusks (such as clams, snails, oysters, and others.)  If you look at a picture of goose barnacles like the one above, you can see that they grow together in groups and are attached to plates unlike clams which can move around.   Their larvae (babies) are the same as the other crustaceans larvae, until they attach themselves on hard surface.  Goose barnacles can move and twist but cannot move to a different area.  The goose barnacle's foot is what allows them to move and twist.  They also use their foot to carry food to them.  The goose barnacle lives in the middle tidal zone because it doesn't always need water to live.  A goose barnacle can live outside of the water for a long time because it doesn't have gills that get the oxygen from the water.  If you would like to see some goose barnacle for yourself you can go to the Bird Rock tide pools in La Jolla, California.  When you go be careful because the rocks are slippery and you never know if there is a rock underneath grass!  

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