Barnacles

Pelagic Gooseneck Barnacles live only on floating marine debris and may wash ashore during rough or stormy ocean conditions.

Some animals have adapted to live on floating marine debris, such as logs, kelp, tires, or small bits of plastic. The term “pelagic” applies to these creatures: organisms which live far out at sea in the open ocean. Along the Oregon Coast, when the wind blows out of the west, marine debris which floats close to shore washes up on the beach. With that in mind, you may want to take a closer look the next time you spot something washing in…

Pelagic Gooseneck barnacles attach to hard surfaces via their flexible stalks. They can be found worldwide, drifting along on the ocean’s currents and feeding on plankton by filtering it out of the water with hair-like feeding tentacles called cirri.