Barnacle Cluster 5" - 7"

Barnacle Clusters range from 5" - 7" overall. Size, shape and color vary as this is a natural item. Lovely by themselves as a natural decor accent on a shelf or table top, or added to your shell collections. Even more beautiful and dramatic when used to fill a bowl or decorative container.  DIMENSIONS: Cluster ranges from 5" to 7" overall *Size, shape, pattern and color will vary as this is a natural item, no two are the same. It unique characteristics are what make it beautiful.  FACTS & HISTORY: Most barnacles are hermaphrodites, interchanging between male and female reproductive organs as needed at the time of mating. Of crustaceans, barnacles are the only sessile, or stationary, sea creatures.  Because they are filtering organisms, they play an important role in the food chain. However they can be a sailors worst enemy when they attach to the hull of their boat.Barnacles “choose” surfaces that are firm enough and near enough but live only in saltwater so fare best when attached to animals or objects that keep them in relatively clean, nutrient-abundant and temperate saline environments—mostly luck of the draw. They can adhere to fixed surfaces such as rocks and piers or moving surfaces like boats, whales and turtles.  Barnacle glue is six times stronger than any manmade glue. Several scientific studies are currently attempting to reproduce barnacle glue and explore its use in the fields of engineering, construction and medicine, where it can be used as a biological sealant during or post-surgery.