Barnacles
17 November 2021
A million years ago I did 'A' level biology, where I discovered that barnacles were not molluscs at all, but were actually related to crabs and lobsters, despite their completely stationary adult lifestyle. Indeed, they sometimes take up residence on molluscs, just to fit in, like.
But trying to adopt molluscan ways doesn't always work out... The local birds have perfected the art of picking up shellfish from the Edinburgh shoreline and prising them apart to get to their scran. They leave the shells scattered over the grass like so many marine MacDonald's cartons. The barnacles, living like clusters of mini-volcanoes on the shells, become collateral damage: they either dry out, or end up as food for smaller avians.
Tough neighbourhood, eh?
BAC-25010 "Passengers"