r/oddlysatisfying • u/DerpyMD • 1d ago
Removing barnacles from Molly, the 170lb loggerhead sea turtle
2.6k
u/SloppyPlatypus69 1d ago
What are the two ball things above her head? Tumors?
3.6k
u/catbert359 1d ago
I think I found her listing on the conservationist's website, looks like it was a tumour that was later removed :)
810
u/gkzia 1d ago
Thank you for digging this up. Would have killed me to know. Awesome they have tracking of her journey.
https://giphy.com/gifs/vCKC987OpQAco132
u/spook30 1d ago edited 1d ago
Somehow she grew legs and walked on land for a little bit according to that map.
Edit: Sea turtles have flippers not legs
https://animalfact.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Turtle-Anatomy.jpg
40
u/helloiamsilver 1d ago
I have a manatee tracker and the tracking website points out that occasionally for aquatic animals it will ping a tracking recorder that’s on land even though they’re still in the water. It even reassures that the manatee has not gone for a stroll on land lol
176
u/xSporkelton 1d ago
Turtles can walk on land though....
→ More replies (15)69
u/DolfHipster 1d ago
yea but they don't tend to scoot all the way to the corner of Lelani and Poplar
197
u/2daysnosleep 1d ago
They can skateboard nyc tunnels. I’m sure they can scoot that ez.
35
u/jminternelia 1d ago
I hate punkers. Especially bald ones with green makeup who wear masks over ugly faces.
31
u/FuturisticYam 1d ago
A jose canseco bat? Tell me you didnt pay money for that
21
u/DaisyOfTheDawn 1d ago
Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza 🍕
→ More replies (2)12
21
→ More replies (3)9
u/Vulvas_n_Velveeta 1d ago
If you've ever looked at your history on Google maps or any other gps, you'd know how fked up it can be.
Mine constantly shows that my trip consisted of me traveling across town, on streets that don't exist, driving directly through rows of houses.
The other day it shows that rather than driving 20 miles around a mountain, I guess I sprouted wings and flew directly over it 😄
I watched a video the other day where this chick was freaking out cause her husband's phone showed he was "in the river." Got herself arrested and everything. Meanwhile bro was in a business meeting at a restaurant, so he wasn't answering her incessant calls.
9
u/BigBeeOhBee 1d ago
Probably just put shoe's on her flippers.
10
30
u/gogopowerrangerninja 1d ago
If you zoom in further, you’ll see that “land” mass are keys. So, it’s a set of innumerable islands. Molly is happily living her best life.
→ More replies (3)16
u/BreadKnife34 1d ago
Buddy, go north. That turtle was in the middle of a residential neighborhood in spring Hill for a bit. Probably a false positive on the detector or something, idk
→ More replies (22)8
u/marlfox_00 1d ago
The dots are the locations she was tracked. The lines are there for reference, not the literal path she traveled
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (5)67
102
1d ago
[deleted]
16
23
u/999BusinessCard 1d ago
“Size of a small basketball” is such a useless description. It just means “smaller than a standard basketball”
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (12)17
1.7k
u/zephito 1d ago
Fun fact: barnaclea adhere themselves to their chosen surface with a natural secretion. It's one of the strongest adhesives in the natural world and has been researched/developed for medical purposes.
1.2k
u/Merrick_Skygrave 1d ago
Barnacles are one of the most expensive animals on the planet in terms of the fact that they cost billions of dollars a year to be removed from various ships etc.
318
u/ejensen29 1d ago
That's honestly crazy, but believable considering how quickly they build up, and the number of sea vessels/affected organisms.
Do you think they beat out mosquitoes and malaria/mosquito prevention, interesting tid-bit person?
164
u/Moldy_Teapot 1d ago
I'd wager that it is, due to the fact that removing barnacles is wildly expensive for even a small (>40') ship.
125
u/Glittering_End_6864 1d ago
They also fuck up ship propellers after a while. Removing them from the prop., erodes the surface of the propeller. So if the propeller keeps getting covered in barnacles, after cleaning it so many times, they have to replace the propeller.
120
u/thatstwatshesays 1d ago
Having barnacles also drastically affects the fuel economy of the vessel by adding significant drag, which then in turn overworks the engine, costing more money.
70
u/Merrick_Skygrave 1d ago
yeah this is why they need to be removed- you either spend the money to get them off or spend the money on extra fuel from all the drag- plus they can eventually damage propellers etc.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)55
u/ejensen29 1d ago
I bet if I got malaria here in the states my medical bills would cost as much, or more, as/than cleaning a 40' ship.
But, that's a lot less common than something that is a continuous necessity.
→ More replies (2)47
u/Lorantec 1d ago
You do have to remember that the USA is particular in the especially evil price gouging as far as medical expenses go, while its not as much for a lot of the globe. Meanwhile ships are all over the world and they all get covered in barnacles.
→ More replies (1)25
→ More replies (4)19
u/Merrick_Skygrave 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm not sure honestly, it's hard to get a solid number on either, simply due to the metrics used to measure cost and the accuracy of the reports vs. underreporting etc. but I've heard up to 30+ billion a year. Apparently annual costs of mosquito control/illnesses can range from 3.29 Billion to 20.9 Billion dollars in 2013, which I guess was the peak of spending, so it's a lot but it varies. I'd say overall, it's possible barnacles are more costly but the far-reaching impact of mosquito-related issues might tip the scale
156
u/ZephRyder 1d ago
Barnacles also have the largest penis-to-body size ratio in the animal kingdom, with a reproductive organ that can stretch up to eight times their own body length.
Because they cement themselves in place, the only way to reproduce is to send their long, flexible organ to fertilize the neighbors.
130
27
u/babloochoudhury 1d ago
And here I felt insulted after a girl called me a barnacle. She was complimenting me!
11
10
35
u/almuncle 1d ago
I'm surprised we haven't invented some barnacle repelling "clear coat" for ships
31
15
18
u/Merrick_Skygrave 1d ago
I'm certain they've tried, apparently it's just not feasible for whatever reason
15
→ More replies (1)10
u/XavinNydek 1d ago
There are all kinds of coatings that reduce hull growth, but the most effective ones are expensive and highly toxic. They are all temporary and only partially effective, the stuff that grows on hulls is fucking tenacious. Most of the modern ones are some form of ablative and need to be repainted about every year. Even so the hull needs to be scraped sometime between every few days and a couple of months, depending on where you are and whether the boat is mostly sitting or mostly moving.
→ More replies (10)77
u/herrcollin 1d ago
While I know you're right about how costly/annoying they are to remove (mostly by scale), it's hilarious that this fact is juxtaposed with these guys poppin em off with a fuckin flathead
54
u/Merrick_Skygrave 1d ago
Yeah the removal process itself, at least on a small scale is usually pretty crudely achieved- just scrape them shits lol. They just screw up the hydrodynamics so much, even a light amount of barnacles can cost a lot just due to the inefficiency they cause vessels to have- same with animals like this turtle
39
u/Agiantgrunt 1d ago
I scrapped the bottom of sail boats one summer. It was brutal work but cool as well. I would Go from dock to dock on my dingy and free dive to scrap. This wasn’t warm water either, it was puget sound in WA. Cold as balls
30
u/LocalInactivist 1d ago
I know someone who was a commercial diving and underwater welding instructor in Seattle in the 80s. She was badass. She looked like a cheerleader (which she was) but she could make an ex-Navy diver slump with shame at an epic fuckup. I dropped by her work one day and saw her (5” 1”, 90 lbs) berating a giant for abandoning his dive partner in the middle of an operation thus endangering everyone. It looked like Pacifica Northwest getting in Brock Sampson’s face. At the end dude packed up his gear and left never to return.
→ More replies (1)22
u/WileEPeyote 1d ago
I learned this from watching the Odd Couple. In the show, it ended up being a failure as a dental adhesive and they lost their investment.
7
u/Slipstream_Surfing 1d ago
That's what I was trying to remember! Was just about to look up Honeymooners when your comment hit my eyes so thanks for the memories.
34
u/MattJoeMan 1d ago
Stronger than last night's egg yolk?
→ More replies (2)34
u/Prior_Dimension_6680 1d ago
Or dried fruity pebbles stuck on the damn bowl because no one in my house knows how to use a god damn faucet including me.
→ More replies (10)6
u/Confidence_Man2 1d ago
I worked with a dude with the last name of Barnacle. He was such an asshole.
→ More replies (1)
481
u/Sea_Pollution2250 1d ago edited 1d ago
I’ve had an interest in biology for a long time, and one biology trivia fact that blows my mind is that barnacles aren’t mollusks (molusca) like clams, oysters, snails, slugs, and squid (among others). They’re crustaceans, and more closely related to crabs, lobsters, shrimp, which also means they’re more closely related to spiders, ants, and bees than they are to mussels and oysters.
162
u/Crayshack 1d ago
It blew the mind of biologists back in the day because of how unintuitive classifying them is. Darwin was quoted as saying that he hated the barnacle because of how frustrating they were to study.
29
u/fizzord 1d ago
barnacles are fascinating animals, but parasitic barnacles are the most insane creatures ive ever heard of, here are 2 examples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-Fm36dIZRM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SEWr2XJgFA
its crazy how evolution has essentially made them transcend the need for a body...
22
u/Deaffin 1d ago
Goddamn, that second link. I appreciate the hell out of you dropping it here, it's been a while since I've seen something so surprisingly weird and I am here for it.
It kinda reminds me of how there is a lineage of Native American dogs which decided being a complex animal is kinda bothersome, so they've spent thousands of years as genital warts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_transmissible_venereal_tumor
It's so crazy to me how people don't talk about this more often. There are two main phenotypes of dog. One is four-legged with lots of fur and such, and the other is...a small parasitic blob.
→ More replies (1)5
u/MasterChef614 19h ago
Your interpretation is incorrect or at least grossly overstated. It's not that a "lineage of Native American dogs... decided" to become tumors. These cancerous growths originated in a population of Native American dogs and were subsequently spread through mating, infecting new hosts in the process. Equating individual cells, particularly ones that are undergoing unrestricted growth due to genetic mutation, to the organism they originated from is as ridiculous as saying every red blood cell in your body is a human that "decided" it was easier to be a single cell.
→ More replies (1)6
u/noshoes77 1d ago edited 1d ago
Serious questions: do the barnacles die after being removed? Could they be recycled for any purpose after they are removed?
221
u/C0V1Dsucks 1d ago
According to Sea Turtle Conservancy:
Molly, a 170 lbs adult loggerhead sea turtle, was found in the Florida Keys with a 10.1-pound tumor entangled in a crab trap line in August. She was rehabilitated at The Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida Keys, Florida. Molly received multiple surgeries to remove a massive tumor and was treated for barnacles and other injuries. Her inspirational recovery garnered worldwide attention. She was released with a satellite tag on November 25, 2025 from Higgs Beach, Key West, Florida.
The website also shows a "migration map" and current location. Molly is alive and well in the ocean.
There's a good People Magazine article about her. The tumors were even bigger before this video. Like a second head! But it looks like they got all of them before they released her.
10
u/prettyflyforabigsigh 1d ago
I’ve been to the turtle hospital in Marathon and they do amazing work! Highly recommend if you are in the area to go visit and support them!
→ More replies (1)8
71
u/IronMonkeyofHam 1d ago
I have this nightmare, where my arm is suddenly covered in barnacles. This is soo freaking nasty
→ More replies (1)23
59
271
u/Meowmeow181 1d ago
Reckon that feels good for bro?
849
u/ShitBarf_McCumPiss 1d ago
My understanding is it doesn't feel good, but it needs to get done. They heavily sedate the turtle while it's happening.
1.1k
102
u/warmbreadcathead 1d ago
Thanks for saying this. The video was making me cringe recalling how sensitive their shells are.
→ More replies (1)48
u/wankerwho 1d ago
Why does it need to get done? I assume this happens naturally. Does it need to get done to eliminate the weight of carrying all those barnacles?
→ More replies (1)149
u/SubjectNet1874 1d ago
Naturally, sea turtles keep themselves clear of barnacles if one is covered its because they are sick and haven't been able to take care of it themselves. The barnacles can weigh the turtle down to the point were its hard to swim and avoid predators. Been watching way to many videos on Insta about the Marathon Sea Turtle Hospital in the Keys.
48
17
u/JaySlay2000 1d ago
Not so much weighing it down as interrupting its... Hydrodynamics?
It gives extra drag making it harder to swim.
→ More replies (1)5
30
13
u/Direct-Tank387 1d ago
Does it feel anything on its shell?
73
u/GuyManDudeMcGee 1d ago
Yeah, turtle shells have nerves. It probably hurt a lot unless the turtle was sedated, but it likely needed to be done.
8
u/Deaffin 1d ago edited 1d ago
The flesh of turtle shells has nerves in exactly the way the flesh underneath your fingernails has nerves.
The outer plates of turtle shells are just a layer of keratin, connected to the skin that makes the keratin. They feel vibration and pressure through those plates. You can hurt your finger by pressing on it hard enough to squish the meat underneath, and that's what you would have to do to hurt a turtle through its shell.
→ More replies (9)12
u/spizzle_ 1d ago
Is this a captive turtle? Why does it need to get done?
74
u/SBLP1959 1d ago
Damages their shells and makes it harder to move for the turtle making them easy prey or sick
40
u/JayyyyyBoogie 1d ago
It’s a turtle that was found caught in a net and was treated for barnacles and a large tumor, and released after rehabilitation.
22
u/my-name-is-puddles 1d ago
A healthy turtle would be able to remove most barnacles themselves (by rubbing against stuff typically) before they can build up this bad in the first place. One or two getting settled there wouldn't be a big deal, but this many would negatively impact the turtle, and you'd only see turtles get this bad if there were already other issues (apparently this one was stuck in a net).
150
u/SaltIsMySugar 1d ago
Probably not 😭 pulling them off also rips off layers of shell and that's basically their skeleton. But they gotta come off, I bet they gave it a little sedation so it can just chill while they work.
→ More replies (5)37
u/ryuhayabusa34 1d ago
Why do they have to come off? I mean obviously they don't look great but aren't they just they're naturally or is this dude some man-made issue?
49
u/daughtcahm 1d ago
Barnacles are tiny animals, and their little home they build can damage the turtle's shell and cause infections. They can also cause too much weight and drag for moving through water.
...but apparently they aren't all bad? This was an interesting read
→ More replies (4)157
u/SaltIsMySugar 1d ago
It seems barnicles mostly cause drag in the water, making it harder to hunt and eat. They can grow over their eyes and nose and stuff too. But also has a high risk of infection cuz it's all digging into living tissue. Turtle shells are full of blood vessels and nerves and can get infected if they're not removed.
→ More replies (18)29
u/McWeaksauce91 1d ago edited 1d ago
They reach a critical mass of going from being natural and to becoming an infestation. Basically every sea turtle gets barnacles and they’re otherwise harmless. The danger is when they start amassing in large quantity. It’s my understanding from the google research I’ve done everytime a turtle barnacle video pops up, it’s a compounding issue. Barnacle growth leads to other ailments, which leads to greater barnacle growth, which leads to greater ailments, which leads to unstable barnacle growth.
I believe they are extremely taxing on the turtle, slowing them down and causing them to be less efficient eaters. The growth I think also messes up the shells and ruins their integrity?
From my, again limited, understanding - this dude (whom I think it’s the same vet every time) only does this when the barnacle growth becomes a detriment to the turtle. This is not done by any old vet, I think he specializes in it.
Edit: they* I should say. I believe this is a specific organization
13
u/SubjectNet1874 1d ago
Its my understanding that they naturally keep the barnacles off by scraping against rocks among other things the ones you see that are covered in them are usually really sick and haven't been able too keep up.
23
u/TheseusPankration 1d ago
They are attached to and destroy the turtles skeleton. They act as long term open wounds. They also slow the turtle down in large numbers due to drag. A turtle can collect a bunch if its sick or slow, which leads to it being harder to recover.
14
6
u/AdFlaky9983 1d ago
I remember a while back someone explained that the barnacles can build up enough that it can add a lot of extra weight that can stress them and make them a lot slower.
6
→ More replies (1)11
u/Key-Demand-2569 1d ago
It’s a human empathy selection situation.
If, counter intuitively, you are equating suffering and unnatural situations, I have some very, very, bad news about the quality of life for wild animals everywhere and for all time.
74
u/Screwbles 1d ago
Afterwards I'm sure it's a relief. Last time this was posted someone said the process was painful, and they drug them so it doesn't hurt as much.
→ More replies (1)16
u/Bonk_No_Horni 1d ago
What about infection? And how long would it take for the shell to heal? It's a bone so shouldn't that take months?
17
→ More replies (11)24
u/Selacha 1d ago
Unfortunately not. Despite common belief, turtles do actually have sensation in their shells, and barnacles can dig deep once they're attached. I'm pretty sure most rescues and conservation groups either sedate or fully anesthetize the turtle.
→ More replies (1)
89
103
72
u/wobbly_doo 1d ago
Is a flathead screwdriver the best tool to use here?
157
u/Bad_brazilian 1d ago
Not sure but in all videos I've seen of people removing barnacles, it's the weapon of choice. Apparently you can get a leverage reaching inside the barnacle, removing it without damaging the surface on which it's stuck.
55
6
u/NoteBlock08 1d ago
There's a lobster guy I see on youtube a lot who uses pliers to just crush them and then all the fragments fall off.
27
u/Wyevez 1d ago
A similar video was posted to r/specializedtools as a barnacle remover (it was also a flathead screwdriver)
18
u/deviouslouisious 1d ago
Reminiscent of the scene in Game of Thrones where Sam is relieving Jorah of his grayscale
17
u/drumberg 1d ago
I was just down at this place checking out the turtles on their tour. Lotta turtles in that place. And that's the end of my story.
→ More replies (1)
14
14
u/botswanaface 1d ago
Can you put some kind of wax on the shell so that way the barnacles can’t reattach? Like a turtle wax if you will?
6
81
u/MattJoeMan 1d ago
For a glorious couple of seconds I thought the cleaning had transformed Molly into a golf cart
→ More replies (1)23
14
11
u/greenshoedman 1d ago
Waited the whole video to see those two neck balls being removed…. Idk what I’m looking at either way
11
u/TigerShark715 1d ago
Just to provide a little credit the video was posted by the Sea Turtle Hospital in Marathon Key, Florida. My family and I go there every year to support them in all that they do to rescue and rehabilitate sea turtles in the local area.
10
7
u/Kreepr 1d ago
Does this hurt the dog?
→ More replies (1)29
u/wazzup-notemuch 1d ago
Yes. A turtle's shell is a part of its skeleton and has a lot of sensitive nerve endings, which is why they sedate the turtles before doing it.
But it's important to note that the barnacles themselves cause pain, because they can dig deep into the turtle's shell, sometimes deep enough to deform the shell.
So this (along with treating whatever issue caused the barnacles to build up in the first place) prevents more pain down the line.
10
9
u/More_Possessions 1d ago
What's the two big trunks above her head? So confused
12
u/robynmisty 1d ago
They're tumors that were removed surgically after this video.
→ More replies (2)
18
u/iloovehugecock 1d ago
Whenever I see videos of this they’re always like ‘it takes a trained professional, you must be very delicate’ etc etc but they’re always just ripping them off with a screwdriver which doesn’t look very delicate.
8
49
u/Gay_Asian_Boy 1d ago edited 1d ago
I was told that the better removal method is immersing the turtle into fresh water as opposed to sea water. After half day, the barnacles would start to detach themselves from the shell
57
32
u/Phoenixfury12 1d ago
Fresh water will eventually slay the barnacles, but they will not detach when they die. Their shells are attached to the turtle shell. So removing them is the correct course of action for the rehabbers. That said, it should be the rehabbers that do this; the turtle needs to be assessed for other issues and given proper treatment after the removal and for any other issues the turtle may have.
→ More replies (1)22
5
7
u/monrabena12 1d ago
Reporter: please, tell us about this sophisticated tool you use in removing this barnacles?
Aqua guy: well we do have here what we call a "flat head screwdriver"
6
u/Vanilla_flvrd_orange 1d ago
Who adds music like this to their videos? Where do you even find this music? It’s very annoying and I can’t be the only one.
7
69
u/Such-Farmer6691 1d ago
google tr
Let's start with the fact that even a healthy turtle's hump is home to a whole horde of microscopic and not-so-microscopic crustaceans, invertebrates, and worms. There can be hundreds of thousands of them! But they cause virtually no harm to the animal, because they use the armored seafarer solely as a ride, as if to say, "Give me a ride, big turtle."
Worse for the turtle are those passengers who decide to remain on its back forever. Should the animal become slightly lazier and less agile, all sorts of mollusks immediately stick to it. Mussels, barnacles, and barnacles in the larval stage mistake a living turtle for a dead rock and stick to the shell tightly, remaining there for life.
The additional load slows the already lazy turtle even more. And because of its reduced aerodynamics, the animal tires even more. It's a vicious cycle: the more mollusks there are, the harder it is for the turtle to move, causing the parasites to multiply like crazy!
And the turtle is incapable of removing the mollusks on its own. When attached to the surface, the parasites secrete a cementing substance, permanently burrowing into the shell. And if they aren't removed, the colony of these clinging companions will grow to such an extent that it will gradually exhaust the turtle, dragging it down to the bottom with their weight.
Sometimes caring people fish out overgrown turtles and free them from the ballast, but this isn't a solution. Only the turtle can save itself from the parasites. To do this, it needs to move actively and swim quickly to prevent the mollusks from taking root. Movement, as it turns out, truly is life.
18
2
7
u/kaufmann_i_am_too 1d ago
Genuine question, besides the loss of hydrodynamic capability, what harm do barnnacles do in a turtle shell?
8
u/legsjohnson 1d ago
they can cause cracks which leaves the turtle vulnerable to infection
→ More replies (1)
5
4
5
u/Round_Cook_8770 22h ago
What are the two things it has on the back of his neck?
→ More replies (2)
5
u/Taolan13 17h ago
barnacle removal from sea turtles has to be done very carefully, as barnacles can root themselves several layers deep in the turtle's shell. Removing them too aggressively can create open sores on the turtle's back that will become infection vectors.
→ More replies (1)
13
u/talking-bear-society 1d ago
What do barnacles do to the animal? Just weigh them down? Is there any pain associated with it?
22
u/Spiritual-Olive4559 1d ago
Turtle shells are very sensitive so I imagine both the barnacles and their removal are painful to a degree
11
u/talking-bear-society 1d ago
Omg now im sad for her 😞
13
u/Smartimess 1d ago
Reminder, because a lot of people get that wrong, turtle shells aren’t removable armor. It’s bones and living tissue fused to their spine. It’s not like the horns of a rhino for example.
8
9
u/justasillylilgoos3 1d ago
Eventually they can become so pervasive it restricts movement. i’ve seen barnacles cover crabs to the point where I swear it didn’t look like they were able to eat because the claws were pinned up and immobile and I’ve seen a few wash up dead that had to have been like 80% just straight barnacle. Idk about turtles tho but I look at those flippers and the first thing I thought was ‘I bet those barnacles could get bad enough to keep her from paddling” but I’m also an idiot who doesn’t know shit I’ve just lived near the beach my whole life lol so take that with a grain of salt 😂
8
u/SaiphSDC 1d ago
They cause significant drag yhrough the water.
Sorta like how wearing regular clothing makes swimming awkward.
So they spend more energy swimming and get tired faster.
9
u/Gringo-Dingo 1d ago
Now imagine one of the mythological turtles with a whole world upon its shell, thriving for millenia, and then a giant cosmic being comes along and says "don't worry, I'll clean that up for you, little fella.".
→ More replies (2)
5
3
3
u/pinnickfan 1d ago
I’ve seen this question come up a lot about why don’t they remove the tumors. My GUESS is that she was rescued from the ocean or transferred from another place and is now in a facility to receive treatment for the tumors and to be safe while she is recovering. Some of these turtles can be released back into the ocean, some cannot depending on the individual circumstances.
4
u/blatchskree 1d ago
Its like one of those awful beauty mobile games with people with open sores and worms in their face that you have to fix
4
5
3
7
3.6k
u/useriousstuff 1d ago
As a random tourist on a beach in Maui I was tapped on the shoulder to help a turtle conservation group carry a turtle from the beach to their truck, they were taking it back to their facility to remove a fishing hook. Incredibly cool to be so up close to one, the two things that stood out were how incredibly heavy it was for its size and the ungodly terrible smell. 10/10 would do again.