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Coronulidae
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 through the water. The arrangement is generally considered commensal as it is done at no cost or benefit to the host. However, some whales may make use of the barnacles as protective armor or for inflicting more damage while fighting, which would make the relationship mutualistic where both parties benefit; alternatively, some species may just increase the drag that the host experiences while swimming, making the barnacles parasites. After hatching, whale barnacles go through six molting stages before searching for a host, being prompted to settle by a chemical cue from the host skin. The barnacle creates a crown-shaped shell, and in most instanc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cryptolepas Rhachianecti
''Cryptolepas rhachianecti'' is a species of whale barnacle that lives as a passenger on the skin of gray whales and certain other species of whale in the northern Pacific Ocean. Description ''Cryptolepas rhachianecti'' can grow to a diameter of . Distribution The species is now only known from the northern Pacific Ocean where gray whales are found. The gray whale was present in the northern Atlantic Ocean between the Late Pleistocene and recent times, and ''C. rhachianecti'' fossils have been found on a beach in the Netherlands, showing that the barnacle must also have been present. This barnacle has been found between January and March for several years in captive beluga whales in San Diego Bay, near a route used by migratory gray whales. The barnacles have evoked a skin reaction in the beluga whales resulting in the eviction of the barnacles, which suggests an immune response. Ecology This barnacle is exclusively found attached to the skin of whales, almost always to the gra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
