How do barnacles get their food? By filter-feeding---when the tide covers them they open the top of their shell and extend their tiny feet, called cirri (seer-ee), and wave them in the water. The cirri look like delicate fans. Cirri trap floating particles in the water and then move them into their mouth. Imagine eating with your feet!

How do barnacles reproduce if they can't move to find a mate? Barnacles are hermaphrodites, meaning each individual barnacle has both male and female reproductive organs. They mate with their closest neighbors since barnacles tend to grow in large groups over a wide area.

How does the barnacle breathe? Although the barnacle lacks gills, it can breathe just fine. Gas exchange is accomplished by diffusion through the thin exoskeleton of the carapace, located in the mantle cavity.