www.iska.ie

Anyone know what this is?
It landed on someone\'s deck recently. [img size=226]http://d130820.u28.host.ie/mambo/compon ... ystery.JPG[/img]

That is a barnacle, goose barnacle, lepas anatifora. Not to be confused with the barnacle goose which is of course a large bird. There were large numbers of barnacles floating off Donegal in July after a large groundswell and Force 6-7 winds. They may have been dislodged from deep water, more usually seen attached to wood or other debris. The white \"pod\" in the middle is unusual and seemed to be composed of gristle and not much else. They had all the other normal features of a barnacle as far as I could see.

Saw looooaaads of these washed in on the tide last week on beach in donegal.. complete with gristly bit. Didn\'t know what they were either as never saw them like that before!

Des, I told you it crawled onto my hatch not out of my hatch, now do you believe me?

M

Thanks Derek.
That\'s it Rosie, this one was just N of Aranmore.
Mark, I never said it crawled out of your HATCH

Now Mark, what I have told you about stirring it...

Aaaaaggghhhhh.... I knew I shouldn\'t have started them off again...........

Anyone got any of those wee beasties? I`d love to show them to the kiddies. mo. :blink:

derek wrote:

That is a barnacle, goose barnacle, lepas anatifora. Not to be confused with the barnacle goose which is of course a large bird. There were large numbers of barnacles floating off Donegal in July after a large groundswell and Force 6-7 winds. They may have been dislodged from deep water, more usually seen attached to wood or other debris. The white \"pod\" in the middle is unusual and seemed to be composed of gristle and not much else. They had all the other normal features of a barnacle as far as I could see.

I think it is a Buoy Barnacle Dosima fasicularis rather than the Goose Barnacle. Quoting from the Collins Guide \"Juveniles attach to a small piece of flotsam and the secrete a dense white float, resembling polystyrene foam. Several together may secrete a communal float\"

...Kevin

I think Des got hit on the head by 2 Goose Barnacles in a hostel in Donegal once at about 3 in the morning. Slobodon MickCarrollevic was very close at the time ...