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Barnacles and Relatives: Thecostraca

Barnacles, Their Relatives, And People

Native Americans once ate barnacles. Today, the rock barnacle is popular as seafood in parts of South America. Many other barnacles are considered pests. When attached to the bottoms of ships, barnacles can slow their speed by more than one-third. This increases the amount of fuel needed to get from place to place. Much time, money, and effort has been spent on the development of paints that will prevent barnacles from settling on ship bottoms.

DARWIN'S BARNACLES

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) collected a never-before-seen burrowing barnacle in a conch shell in Chile. In order to classify his discovery properly, Darwin began a careful study of all barnacles, including fossils. In eight years (1846-1854) he wrote four important books on barnacles, representing the first modern studies of the group. Darwin's work with barnacles, earthworms, insect-eating plants, and other organisms helped him to write his most important book, On The Origin of Species, in 1859.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceMollusks, Crustaceans, and Related SpeciesBarnacles and Relatives: Thecostraca - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Behavior And Reproduction, Barnacles, Their Relatives, And People, No Common Name (trypetesa Lampas): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, DIET, CONSERVATION STATUS