Channel: Deep Look

Category: Science & Technology

Tags: pbsmarine scienceeducationintertidal zoneacorn barnaclesbarnacle factsacorn barnacles matingmarine biologybarnacle sexbarnaclesanimalsdocumentarycypridintertidalwildlifemacrocypridsbiologycrustaceanbarnaclenaturebarnacles matingnaupliicirrideep lookacorn barnaclebarnacles eatingbalanus glandulaoceanhermaphroditic animalsscience4kbarnacles movingbarnacle boibarnacle feedingwildreproduction

Description: Acorn barnacles might look like jagged little rocks at low tide, but they have a surprisingly wild sex life. These crusty little animals — related to crabs and shrimp — have the longest penis of any animal relative to their body size. It's up to eight times the length of the barnacle itself! SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look and hit that bell 🔔 🔔 🔔 to receive our notifications ! DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. --- When it comes to mating, acorn barnacles have a challenge. How do you find a date when you’re permanently stuck to a rock, pier or boat hull? Fortunately for them, barnacles are packing the right equipment to get the job done. They have the longest penis of any animal relative to their body size. But the barnacle’s male organ isn’t just impressive because of its length. It can smell and taste and the tip can feel around to find neighbors that have ripe ovaries inside. “It is very clear that the barnacle’s penis is really much more of a sensory organ that also delivers sperm,” says Peter Raimondi, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. --- What do barnacles eat? Barnacles use their long feathery legs called cirri to strain plankton and debris right out of the water. Barnacles are often found in the intertidal zone where the waves churn up seaweed and carrion into small pieces that barnacles can eat. --- How do barnacles attach to rocks? Free-swimming mature barnacle larvae called cyprids attach themselves to rocks, piers, boat hulls and other underwater surfaces with a special cement that they excrete from glands between their antennae. The young barnacle then builds a ring of protective shell around itself. --- What are barnacles related to? From the outside, barnacles may look more like clams or mussels. But barnacles are actually crustaceans that are more closely related to shrimp and crabs. ---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science: kqed.org/science/1979151/barnacles-go-to-unbelievable-lengths-to-hook-up ---+ More great Deep Look episodes: These Feisty Hermit Crabs Brawl Over Snail Shells | Deep Look youtu.be/zCsbTcmtsoA Skeleton Shrimp Use 18 Appendages to Feed, Fight and ... Frolic | Deep Look youtu.be/lQtU5Cu7GDw Once a Spawn a Time: Horseshoe Crabs Mob the Beach | Deep Look youtu.be/iYvWssvg1YU ---+ Shoutout! 🏆Congratulations🏆 to Kamea Webster on our Deep Look Community Tab for correctly answering our GIF challenge! The entire structure of the barnacle legs is called the cirral fan! ---+ Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10+ per month)! Jessica Chris B Emrick Burt Humburg David Deshpande Karen Reynolds Daisuke Goto Adam Kurtz Allison & Maka Masuda Wild Turkey Tianxing Wang Companion Cube Mark Jobes Blanca Vides Jana Brenning Kevin Judge Syniurge Aurora Titania Juang monoirre Roberta K Wright Supernovabetty Anastasia Grinkevic KW El Samuels Jellyman Scott Faunce Mehdi Nicky Orino Cristen Rasmussen Kristy Freeman Cindy McGill Laurel Przybylski 吳怡彰 SueEllen McCann Misia Clive Shelley Pearson Cranshaw Joshua Murallon Robertson Kelly Hong Caitlin McDonough Sonia Tanlimco Nicolette Ray Noreen Herrington Silvan Elizabeth Ann Ditz Louis O'Neill Levi Cai kenneth nguyen ! Shonara Rivas TierZoo Jeremiah Sullivan Wade Tregaskis Delphine Tseng Carrie Mukaida rafael pirondi ---+ Follow Deep Look and KQED Science on social: tiktok.com/@deeplookofficial patreon.com/deeplook Instagram: instagram.com/kqedscience Twitter: twitter.com/kqedscience ---+ About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, California, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by The National Science Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED.