A class of marine crustaceans characterized by feathery, hair-like cirri used for filter-feeding, including barnacles, goose barnacles, and related species.
Plural/collective form derived from Latin cirrus + pes, formalized as a taxonomic class name in scientific classification. The -ia ending is typical of Latin scientific taxonomy.
Cirripedia show one of nature's most dramatic transformations: free-swimming larvae that look like tiny shrimp suddenly glue themselves headfirst to rocks and become permanently fixed filters!
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