Goose Barnacle, a filter-feeding Crustacean, as photographed by Peggy Berryhill

Goose Barnacles live on hard surfaces of rock, and even flotsam, in the intertidal zone of the ocean. Peggy Berryhill recently photographed a group of them at low tide off of Cook's Beach. You can also see a handful of mussels in Peggy's photo.

Such a strange-looking creature!  The Goose Barnacles look rather like claws. They are considered a delicacy in Portugal and Spain and go by the name Percebes. Native people on the Mendonoma Coast would roast them on a fire and then eat the stem. I'm content to admire them in their natural habitat, one of the many denizens of the ocean.

Thanks to Peggy for allowing me to share her photo with you here.