DETAILS
- Discipline
NH: ZOOLOGY: INVERTEBRATES: CRUSTACEANS (CRABS, LOBSTER, SHRIMP, WOODLICE)
- Scientific Name
Lepas anatifera
- Common Name
Goose Barnacle
- Date Collected
3 January 1989
- Place Collected
Scotland, Kintyre, Machrihanish Bay, (place collected)
- Form
wet preserved
- Dimensions
overall: 124 mm x 70 mm x 70 mm 497 g
- Description
-
Goose barnacles (Lepas anatifera) are large stalked barnacles often found attached to floating objects washed up on beaches. They filter feed on particles of food in the water using along feathery feeding apparatus which can be quickly withdrawn into the shelled ‘head’ if danger threatens.
They were given their common name as it used to be believed that they turned into barnacle geese as no one had seen barnacle geese eggs or nests and the head of the goose barnacles looked quite like a goose head.
They are found all around the coast of Britain and often occur in large numbers on the hulls of boats which need to be removed from the water for cleaning. They are eaten by humans in many parts of the world. - ID Number
Z.1989.3
- Location
In storage
- Terms