page_title: Whale barnacle
section_title: Ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Whale barnacle / Ecology
caption_attribution_description: English: Xenobalanus on the tail fin of a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)
context_page_description: Whale barnacles are species of acorn barnacle that belong to the subfamily Coronulinae, family Coronulidae. They typically attach to baleen whales, though they may settle on toothed whales and, rarely, turtles, which have their own species of barnacle, which split from whale barnacles in the Late Pliocene around 3.5 to 3 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 instances, deeply embeds itself into the skin for stability while riding a fast-moving host.
caption: Xenobalanus shells embedded into the flukes of a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)
exif: {}