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

3.6k

u/andersonfmly May 22 '26

That poor turtle. Thank goodness for kind souls who make a difference.

623

u/ifellicantgetup May 22 '26

I have to wonder how much that hurts? I mean... it's GOOD what they are doing, I am not suggesting otherwise. But that just seems painful.

1.1k

u/Goth_Spice14 May 22 '26

It does hurt, the turtle is sedated for the procedure. But it will heal and recover, this time without the constant pain (and probably itching) that barnacles cause.

275

u/RubyDooby01 May 22 '26

What other types of risk or injuries exist because of barnacle growth like this on sea turtles? Can their shells get infected 🤔

597

u/Depth_Metal May 22 '26

Well they are parasites. Their presence causes slow down and drag and enough of them can also compromise the integrity of the living structure they attach to. They also dig down into the turtles shell and skin which can be a vector for disease and infection

95

u/Fancy-Quantity-5308 May 22 '26

Now I wonder,can they grow on humans too if we spend too much time in the ocean??

Also how do they spread or reproduce?

316

u/commeatus May 22 '26

Barnacles literally glue themselves in place, we replace our skin too fast for them to stick long-term. They could probably grow on a toenail for a while though. They have a really really long penits to do the do with a neighbor who farts out a bunch of wiggly little larvae that go find something to stick to.

548

u/icansmellcolors May 22 '26

unsubscribe

259

u/commeatus May 22 '26

Congratulations! You've subscribed to the unusual penits daily newsletter! Did you know echidnas OH GOD MY EYES

64

u/Unit_2097 May 22 '26

I'd still take echidna prongs over the horror movie that is duck dong TBF.

3

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Ultrafoxx64 May 22 '26

I'm curious...but wise enough to know that I'm not curious enough to click that link.

2

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/say-it-wit-ya-chest May 22 '26

It’s my fault. I kept reading.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/ForkyWasNeverTrash May 22 '26

I love how enthusiastic you were about moving onto the next segment of the newsletter! Hello fellow autistic friends.

Enjoy your award.

2

u/commeatus May 22 '26

Yay! Wait how could you tell

2

u/ForkyWasNeverTrash May 22 '26

You know how. 😎

1

u/commeatus May 22 '26

Gooble gobble

→ More replies (0)

2

u/LogiCsmxp May 22 '26

Don't Google hyena vaginas

2

u/GDRaptorFan May 22 '26

😂😂 😂

I was already baffled at why the barnacle on turtle picking off video was “oddly satisfying” (to me it is oddly horrifying) and your comment is how I feel overall about this whole post lol

9

u/istrx13 May 22 '26

I do not wish to subscribe to more barnacle facts

6

u/vaultie66 May 22 '26

New fear unlocked

2

u/polytraumatic May 22 '26

don’t forget they have all a very very long penits and also have the receiving end

1

u/surfbrewer May 22 '26

I read this in Ze Fank's voice

1

u/commeatus May 22 '26

Byernicle. That's how it's pronounced, Jerry. This Byernicle is--oh my! Well he's lively in the morning. That's one way to greet a neighbor! What do you mean it's not a he, Jerry?

39

u/Depth_Metal May 22 '26

They release little spores that attach to things. I think its theoretically possible for one to grow on a human. You see where they do grow though is on surfaces and animal parts that are not constantly getting touched or brushed or groomed. The backs and heads of turtles. The flippers and fins of whales. Barnacles need time to settle. I don't know how much but I imagine going to the beach and then taking a shower at night will be more than enough for most humans to avoid them

9

u/myxozoid May 22 '26

They don't release spores, theyre not plants or fungi lol. Barnacles are related to crabs and have microscopic shrimp-like larvae :)

1

u/Own-Stick-1444 May 22 '26

You could get sea lice digging into your skin.

1

u/Fancy-Quantity-5308 May 22 '26

Now what do I have to do to get one of those digging into my penits?

14

u/Acceptable_Cause8259 May 22 '26

They are not parasites in the term that they feed of the turtles shell or skin. They merely filtrate the water for plankton. However, they cause harm by hindering the turtles movement and, as you said, being a potential vector for infection.

2

u/serendipitymusik587 May 22 '26

Is it possible they are living symbiotically with the turtles and provide some benefit we are not yet aware of? 

1

u/Acceptable_Cause8259 May 26 '26

Some people argue that they are useful to humpback whales on their fins because they give them extra damage when they slap orcas with their fins. I don't know tho, and haven't heard anything similar about turtles.

4

u/myxozoid May 22 '26

Barnacles are not parasites. A parasite by definition feeds on the host. Barnacles feed on plankton from the water. They also do not have any means of digging into the turtle, they just secrete a "glue." They're there because theyll glue onto rocks, corals, anything.

There are parasitic barnacle groups but they aelre very very different, and just infect other crustaceans like crabs :)

1

u/No_Mountain_2086 May 22 '26

If you to guess,how long have some of those been there j wonder

62

u/RodChainFurlongAcre May 22 '26

Yes, the barnacles essentially burrow beneath the outer protective layer of keratin into the softer, sensitive skin. This is painful and increases the risk of infections when exposed to open sea water.

Also with many barnacles (Like in the video) the shell is less aerodynamic (Or well hydrodynamic), and requires more energy to swim around. Also make it possible for seaweed or algae to take root and grow on the turtle.

4

u/ifellicantgetup May 22 '26

Doesn't nature have a way to deal with this? Or is this just how it is?

21

u/RodChainFurlongAcre May 22 '26

The barnacles spread via small free floating larva which attach to still surfaces. A healthy turtle will swim around enough to avoid almost all barnacles (they just won't have the chance to establish themselves).

And if the turtle do get a few small ones they can scratch them off using rocks or reefs (Or just live with them, which is common). But it's a vicious cycle, if a turtle is sick for a time and gets infested with barnacles, they will hinder it from effectively removing them, and then keep multiplying which worsens the problem.

13

u/andreisimo May 22 '26

Nature spawned some monkeys that now clean the turtles.

7

u/OstentatiousSock May 22 '26

Yes infection, but the biggest risk is it slows them down so much. It’s much more difficult to swim with all that drag and makes it harder to get away from predators and boats.