Washed up Gooseneck Barnacle is a long way from home

The Port News has received photos from a number of people showing the magnificent crustacean which appears attached to a tree limb.

One caller described the crustacean as "fascinating and the whole thing is moving".

The Gooseneck Barnacle is one of the more bizarre types of crustaceans and usually live well out to sea - over 100 nautical miles.

They are consumed as a delicacy in Portugal and Spain.

Apparently when cooked, they look like dinosaur toes, one recipe reviewer has said. But with a simple boil and a squeeze of lemon and you'll find a cylindrical bit of meat inside that will make your mouth water.

One would have to agree though, they're too pretty for a pot.

The Gooseneck Barnacle is occasionally seen growing on rope attached to an entangled whale which indicates they've been entangled for a long time at sea.

One local resident, who did not want to be named, said she and two friends had come across the crustacean during their regular walk between the surf clubhouse and Middle Rock.

"It is stranded on the sand and it looks like the barnacles have covered a tree branch or something.

"Some of the barnacles are moving and the tubes, which appear to have plenty of water in them, are quite spongy.

"It's the first time I've seen anything like it," the woman said.

"We weren't game to pick it up. Hopefully a higher tide will wash the barnacle back to sea.

"There are little crabs living in there; it's a little eco-system and all very interesting."

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