Take a gander at rare Goose Barnacles

Hundreds of goose barnacles were brought into the aquarium after being discovered stranded by local fishermen.

Normally only found in open water, goose barnacles, which can measure up to 10 inches in length, spend their lives attached to floating driftwood or other buoyant materials using feathery appendages to net passing food.

During stormy weather at sea this flotsam is occasionally blown ashore with its exotic passengers still firmly attached.

Blue Reef curator James Wright said: "We got a call from a fisherman saying he had found hundreds of them attached to a long piece of rope and asking if we could look after them.

"Because they normally live in warm water environments we were concerned they may be dead. On arrival however they were found to be in good condition and we immediately got them back to the aquarium and into one of our displays.

"Although they look like giant shellfish, goose barnacles are actually related to crabs and lobsters.

"We've separated them into two colonies; one of which we're keeping in quarantine and the other we've put on display to the public," he added.

Goose barnacles get their name from the fact that, in medieval times, people believed they weren't animals in their own right but eggs laid by geese.

This bizarre belief also enabled the country's mainly Catholic population, to eat goose meat on Fridays as it was clearly a member of the fish family!

"It's amazing to think how far these particular creatures have travelled and how long they have been attached to that piece of rope.

"We have had a close look but there are no real distinguishing marks to indicate where they're from although it does look like it's been in the water for a considerable amount of time," said James.