barnacles
Ship hull hitchhikers
Barnacles are small marine crustaceans that attach permanently to hard surfaces—rocks, ship hulls, piers, and the bodies of whales and sea turtles.
Their shells create rough, crusty patches that accumulate over time.
Because they're notoriously difficult to remove, barnacle often describes anything that clings stubbornly: He's been a barnacle on that committee for decades.
Organism accumulation on surfaces
- antifoulingMarine growth prevention
- hullOuter covering or frame
- dragResistance through fluid
- encrustationHardened surface deposit
scraping · cleaning · maintenance · infestation · colonization · coating · buildup · accumulation
Hold tightly to
anchor · tenacious · encrust · colonize · suction · cement · permanent · immovable
Outer covering or frame
- keelHull's structural base
- waterlineLevel water reaches
- shipSeagoing transport vessel
- sailboatWind-propelled watercraft
yacht · careening · scraping · drydock · shipyard · marina · mooring · anchor
Flower-bearing stalk
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- sessileAttached at base
- filter-feederOrganism extracting food from water
- hermaphroditeBoth sexes in one
arthropod · planktonic · larvae · molting · exoskeleton · calcified · plates · settling
Coastal rock hollow holding seawater
- intertidalZone between high and low watermarks
- pierWaterfront landing structure
- pilingStructural support column
- jettyStructure extending into water
wharf · reef · driftwood · seawall · buoy · mooring · whale · turtle
Organism extracting food from water
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- symbiosisInterspecies biological interdependence
- commensalismNeutral host, benefiting guest
- hostOne receiving guests
microhabitat · zonation · competition · predation · adaptation · ecosystem · community · succession
biofouling
Organism accumulation on surfaces
- antifoulingMarine growth prevention
- hullOuter covering or frame
- dragResistance through fluid
encrustation · scraping · cleaning · maintenance · infestation · colonization · coating · buildup · accumulation · paint
cling
Hold tightly to
attach · anchor · tenacious · encrust · colonize · suction · cement · permanent · immovable · fixed
hull
Outer covering or frame
sailboat · yacht · careening · scraping · drydock · shipyard · marina · mooring · anchor · seaworthy
peduncle
Flower-bearing stalk
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- sessileAttached at base
- filter-feederOrganism extracting food from water
hermaphrodite · arthropod · planktonic · larvae · molting · exoskeleton · calcified · plates · settling
tidepool
Coastal rock hollow holding seawater
- intertidalZone between high and low watermarks
- pierWaterfront landing structure
- pilingStructural support column
jetty · wharf · reef · driftwood · seawall · buoy · mooring · whale · turtle · crab
filter-feeder
Organism extracting food from water
- planktonDrifting marine microlife
- symbiosisInterspecies biological interdependence
- commensalismNeutral host, benefiting guest
host · microhabitat · zonation · competition · predation · adaptation · ecosystem · community · succession · larvae
barnaclesdrifters
Aimless travelers, homeless rovers
floaters · jellyfish · plankton · zooplankton · Portuguese man-of-war
barnaclessmooth surface
Plane without irregularities
polished finish · bare metal · unfouled · pristine · slick