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field guide

Barnacles and jetty life

Identification, habitat and South Padre Island field notes for barnacles and jetty life.

The stronger story is in the wrack line. Stalked goose barnacles outnumber every acorn barnacle in the county record — Lepas anserifera alone has 61 island records and 81 county, with Lepas indica (14), Lepas anatifera (5) and the self-floating buoy barnacle Dosima fascicularis (1) behind it . A goose barnacle is a crustacean fixed to floating wood, plastic or a bottle by a tough flexible stalk, its body enclosed in white plates; the name preserves a medieval belief that barnacle geese hatched from them . Three barnacles on the list ride animals: the turtle barnacle (Chelonibia testudinaria, 2), the sea-whip barnacle (Conopea galeata, 2) and Xenobalanus globicipitis (2), a stalked barnacle of dolphins and whales (chapters 02 and 04) . One parasitic isopod, Nerocila lanceolata, which fastens to fish, has a county record .

Observe responsibly

Wildlife, tides and access conditions change. Keep a respectful distance, do not feed wildlife, stay out of dunes and marked nesting areas, and use current official rules before fishing or handling any catch.