Mystery on the beach: huge tentacle turns out to be a delicacy!

Mystery on the beach: huge tentacle turns out to be a delicacy!

A fascinating discovery provided on the Australian Coast when a walker on the beach of Port Elliot, south of Adelaide, came across an approximately three meter long, tentacular mass. This reported t-online.de . The unusual find quickly caused a stir in social networks, where users from irritation to fascination reacted to the sight. Experts identified the mass as a colony of Goose Barnacles, also known as duck mussels that belong to the group of crustaceans.

The long, flexible stems of the duck mussels help the animals to stick to drift or rock. Dr. Zoe Doubleday from the University of South Australia said that the stems have mussel -like housings at their ends. In addition, the scientist suspects that it could be a piece of old sea infrastructure that was overgrown by these mussels. The density of this colony is unusual for experts and speaks for the rarity of such collections on Australian bathing beaches.

insights into the world of duck mussels

duck mussels, or percebes, as they are called in Spain, are not only a natural phenomenon, but also a coveted delicacy. Historically, the belief was spread that Barnacle Geese hatch out of these mussels, which led to the naming. These crustaceans are filter eaters and attach themselves to fixed surfaces in the sea area, such as rocks or flotsam. There are different types of Goose Barnacles, some of which live pelagically and can often be found on the coasts, while others live in the tidal areas, where they benefit from the water movement to filter plankton. According to wikipedia they are biologically crayfish and not mussels.

Percebes are harvested in Spain under dangerous conditions, whereby Fischer has to work in coastal zones without boats to ensure their safety. The price for this delicacy can be exorbitant, occasionally up to 250 euros per kilogram, as in the reports of Rolling Pin . Here it is emphasized that the extraordinary fan conditions and the limited access to the best catch questions lead to the high prices.

dangers and fishing practices

Fishing according to Percebes can be dangerous and often leads to accidents, some of them fatal. The fishermen often work in groups of two to eight -grade each other on safety. During the catch time, professional fishermen are only allowed to remove limited quantities to protect the existence of the animals. This shows the great interest in sustainable fishing and the protection of these unique species.

Overall, the discovery of the Goose Barnacle colony in Australia is not only a curious beach find, but also opens windows to the exciting and often dangerous practices of the mussel harvest, which are exercised in other parts of the world. The fascination for these creatures remains unbroken, be it because of their biological uniqueness or culinary high quality.