Xenobalanus Globicipitis & Dolphins

Xenobalanus Globicipitis aka the Stalked Barnacle
So, just what exactly are those ribbon like things that can sometimes be seen of the flukes, pecs and dorsal tips of our Dolphins of Ponta. 
Well quite simply put they are a type of barnacle, the stalked variety to be exact.
We are all pretty much familiar with the barnacles that are often seen on Humpback whales, these however are of the softer veriety. 
The Xenobalanus is a parasitic organism and only attaches to the host for transportation purposes.
Over the past 20 odd years in Ponta do Ouro, we have had many observations of dolphins who have this particular stalked barnacle.
Photographed here is the child of Spring, who was first photographed in 2012 as a calf that had evidence of fishing line entanglement. Three years later the little one is now no longer at moms side as mom readies herself for the next generation of Spring's! The deformation of the pectoral is a great identification mark.

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