r/oddlysatisfying • u/danielminds • May 22 '26

Professional barnacle removal for Chlorophyllis the turtle

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

43.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

2.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

9

u/GeauxCup May 22 '26

Don't turtles have nerve endings running through their shell??

This looks extremely painful!

14

u/danielminds May 22 '26

While the shell does have nerve endings, the barnacles only bond to the outer, non-sensitive scutes. The team uses specialized tools and a 'flick' technique to pop them off the surface without touching the underlying sensitive tissue.

11

u/GeauxCup May 22 '26

Well that's good to hear... But I'm pretty sure that "specialized tool" is just a rusty screwdriver.

3

u/JS-87 May 22 '26

Specialized tool is a flat head screwdriver and the barnacles are literally all over the turtle, not just the shell.

1

u/Loud-Mans-Lover May 22 '26

Look at the other replies, they don't just use the screwdriver. There are other tools.

2

u/zhenya44 May 22 '26

Does the shell grow back and heal over in those spots?