Does Barnacles Harm The Turtle? 🤔

[xxxhq]

YES!!! It harms them. Even just one barnacles will effect the way they swim, it acts like a tiny rudder. Just a few will start slowing them down, so it'll take them more energy and effort to swim

[PatrickWaugh-kkze]

98 of 100 turtles surveyed said that indeed barnacles ARE harmful. The other 2 couldn’t be reached for comments having been eaten by sharks.

[Doulingoj]

Barnacles for us like walking without being able bend your knee

[ShadowOreo]

That first guy getting them off his head must've felt so relieved!

[dragonnightwing]

Remember: turtles and tortoises have nerve endings in their shells. They do feel pain, be it from the barnacles themselves, or the scraping when you try to remove them.

[-M_Media]

last I checked turtles can feel
things on their shells

[sidneyhughes]

There is also an easier method for the removal of barnacles but it is more time consuming and requires more space, if you put a turtle in fresh water for about 24 hours the barnacles die and naturally fall off. I know this isn't always available but it is easier on the turtle .

[kingofthekaiju]

also messes with their hydrodynamics if they get too big and can grow into their eyes. most hard-bodied marine animals have issues with barnacles, esp crustaceans

[VincentMothlingIamDyslexic]

Also if it’s in the bendy bits of the animal it will reduce its range of motion. Barnicals are a big factor in killing crustasions by removing there abilty to molt

[mosbey]

honestly if there isn’t too many to hinder their movement it’s basically like a shield with jagged “spikes”

[gekone]

Its like asking if tapeworms are bad for you

[CoolCOTL]

"HALF LIFE MENT-"

"im serious."

"alr, i wont say it."

[Monkeyboy-ej]

Barnacle be like : if I am dying I am taking you with me

[punkrinn]

Y'all need to watch the whole video. It explains that while barnacles don't physically harm the turtle, they DO affect their swimming, ESPECIALLY if there's a ton of them

[Koreeanokid]

it's bad, but ripping it off of them is also horrible! they feel everything that touches the shells, they aren't like hermit crab shells, it's a part of them!

[jsmart]

I believe they are also Darwins least favorite creature causing him years of stress because he didn’t know how to classify them or something.

[varf]

as a turtle i can confirm that barnacles are indeed harmful

[kikilocket]

Barncales restrict movement. And this is the case for most hardshell marine life like turtles, crabs, lobsters etc

[williamh]

Anyone else think for half a second that someone was trying to scoop the turtles brains out

[nicholasday]

OMG, that was the biggest barnacle I ever seen