For anyone still tempted to believe in outdated urban legends,
let me set the record straight on this one: you can’t get
pregnant from a swimming pool. Or at least, that’s the case for
humans. In the world of barnacle mating things are a bit more
complicated. Having to spend their entire adult lives tethered
to the same rocky surface, the marine crustaceans lack the
maneuvering and mingling opportunities afforded to our species.
To make baby barnacles, they’ve had to get creative. And based
on new research, barnacle reproduction may be even more peculiar
than previously imagined. Barnacles have a few things going for
them in terms of reproductive flexibility. For one, many species
are hermaphroditic. That is, they can produce both eggs and
sperm. And a batch of eggs can potentially be fertilized by more
than one partner. They also have impressively long penises (some
of the lengthiest in the animal kingdom, relative to body size).
These sprawling sex organs allow barnacles to reach out and
engage in something