Solomons Island Part 1: Giant Prehistoric Barnacles

Giant Prehistoric Barnacles

I spent most of this past week in Solomons, Maryland with nothing to do except relax, walk around, see the sights, mix it up with the locals, and get some of those delicious Maryland Blue Crabs (my favorite food and pretty much the only left over trace of my having lived in MD until the age of nine). The one attraction that was recommended to me again and again was the Calvert Marine Museum around which these next three quick blog entries will revolve...

Stopping in to see the fossil-cleaning-in-action, I met two volunteers who were incredibly knowledgeable and quite friendly. Snapping a picture of what I thought were simply the largest barnacles I had ever seen, the two ladies informed me that they were actually prehistoric fossils. Apparently because of the warmer climate and different makeup of oceanic and atmospheric gases, many creatures (including barnacles) grew much larger back then. So that got me thinking... Haven't I seen barnacles of this larger size in the movies before? Pirates of the Caribbean perhaps? Ohh well... Chock it up to Hollywood magic :) I'll certainly be using this shot as inspiration in the future... Interesting to think about and possibly a neat little bit of trivia anyway...