Despite their hard exterior, barnacles aren’t invincible. Other sea life — including some species of snails, crabs, and even fish, can pry open or scrape off barnacles to get to the soft body inside.
Luis Diaz Devesa / Getty Images
Humans in some cultures eat gooseneck barnacles, considered a delicacy. And way back in the day, people believed geese hatched from barnacles (a misconception that came from seeing goose barnacles on driftwood).
Today, we know better thanks to advancements in brain and marine sciences. But barnacles still remind us that even small, overlooked creatures play big roles in sea life ecosystems.
We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.
