Upon closer examination of the turtle, we noticed many small barnacles clinging to its body. Typically sea turtles captured on the west coast of Malaysia exhibit more epibiont (epi means “on top of” and biont means “life,” which together make “epibiont,” or life which lives directly on top of other life) growth, such as barnacles. How might epibionts such as barnacles impact sea turtles? Can you think of any other sea creature that may provide a home for epibionts?
