Balanus nubilus is the Pacific Northwest’s biggest intertidal barnacle. Large ones are about the size of a human fist. They’re big enough to add surface area to crowded intertidal rocks. As they grow, their shells become prime real estate. The giant barnacle in the image below hosts a diverse settlement. Which residents can you identify?
Death doesn’t make the giant barnacle a less generous host. Below, a granular claw crab, Oedignathus inermis, has taken residence in an empty shell.
I wrote a few words about granular claw crabs and giant barnacles in Security for Granular Claw Crabs.