Gooseneck barnacle

What barnacle resembles a goose?

The gooseneck barnacle! Common around tidepools, they are often found clustered together below mussel beds. The barnacles thrive in textured surfaces and aerated water. They use their cirri to get food and stick tightly, particularly on rough algae, mussels, and smaller barnacles to minimize competition for space with anemones, sea stars, and soft algae that can’t survive the harsh waves.

Although their habitat among crashing waves seems to indicate their indestructibility, gooseneck barnacles are quite fragile. They require specific conditions and rarely regrow where large patches have been harvested. Even careful plucking could lead to shrinking populations, robbing the shoreline of one of its natural treasures.