It determined the males have the longest *ahem* sex organ of any animal its size - up to eight times the critter's normal body length, which helps it find and fertilize nearby female barnacles.
The male can also change the size and shape of its sex organ on demand.
According to the Science Daily story unfortunately titled "Barnacles Go to Great Lengths to Mate":
"Graduate student Christopher Neufeld and Dr. Richard Palmer from the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta have shown that barnacles appear to have acquired the capacity to change the size and shape of their penises to closely match local wave conditions."
"When wave action is light, a longer (thinner) penis can reach more mates, but at times of higher wave action, a shorter (stouter) penis is more maneuverable in flow and therefore can reach more mates."
Thanks, Canada, for staying on top of this one.-SueVo
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