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Whale barnacles are species of acorn barnacle that belong to the family Coronulidae. They typically attach to baleen whales, and sometimes settle on toothed whales. The whale barnacles diverged from the turtle barnacles about three million years ago. Whale barnacles passively filter food, using tentacle-like cirri, as the host swims
Coronula diadema is a species of whale barnacle that lives on the skin of humpback whales and certain other species of whale. [2] This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 1767 12th edition of his Systema Naturae. [1]
Most barnacles are encrusters, attaching themselves to a hard substrate such as a rock, the shell of a mollusc, or a ship; or to an animal such as a whale (whale barnacles). The most common form, acorn barnacles , are sessile , growing their shells directly onto the substrate, whereas goose barnacles attach themselves by means of a stalk.
Photos show close-ups of the whale’s skin and barnacles. The huge sea creature was close enough for boaters to see its barnacles. Monterey Bay Whale Watch / Daniel Bianchetta.
Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. [1] This is in contrast with mutualism , in which both organisms benefit from each other; amensalism , where one is harmed while the other is unaffected; and parasitism , where one is ...
Though not a parasite, whale barnacles latch onto the skin of a whale during their larval stage. However, in doing so it does not harm nor benefit the whale, so their relationship is often labeled as an example of commensalism. [103] Some baleen whales will deliberately rub themselves on substrate to dislodge parasites. [104]
Xenobalanus globicipitis is a species of pseudo-stalked barnacle. [1] It is usually spotted on the appendages of at least 34 species of cetaceans , commonly baleen whales and bottlenose dolphins . This species is not technically a true stalked barnacle , hence the 'pseudo' in its name.
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