This acorn barnacle with its six-plated shell was one of many that were attached to a red plastic fishing crate washed up on the pebbles of Chesil Beach, Dorset, UK on the Jurassic Coast. The crate was marked “Ladram Bay Trawlers 2005”. The barnacles seemed to have a preference for settling on the roughened surfaces where the white letters had been attached. as you can see in the pictures below.
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Jessica's Nature Blog 
Very interesting- it almost looks like an ecological experiment.
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You’re right! It does look almost contrived. Although I am not sure which species this is, I believe there are some species of barnacle that like especially to settle on plastic in preference, for example, to rock or concrete. It is difficult to know whether the larvae settled mostly on the lettering or whether they settled all over the object but only survived on the letters.
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At a glance, looks like there was some settlement ‘off piste’! Visit to your site after an absence – great to enjoy your observing eye!!
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Thanks, Jan. Nice to hear from you.
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