Balanus balanus found at depths of up to and grows on bedrock, boulders, pebbles and shells. It seems to favour habitats with strong currents and when overcrowding occurs, adopts different shapes to fit the space available. It is often found growing alongside another barnacle, "Balanus crenatus". Other species often found in its vicinity include "Tubularia larynx", "Obelia geniculata", "Pomatoceros triqueter", "Pecten maximus", "Hydroides norvegica", "Chlamys opercularis" and "Sertularia" species. Coralline algae was often present as were the whelk, the European edible sea urchin ("Echinus esculentus"), the great spider crab ("Hyas araneus") and the shore crab ("Carcinus maenas"). The main predator is the
Timothy Garden, Baron Garden defence capabilities, Defence Diplomacy, interoperability for NATO forces and counter-terrorism. He appeared as the military advisor on the BBC television series "Crisis Command". Garden wrote widely on security topics, and his publications include two books: "Can Deterrence Last?" and "The Technology Trap", both written while he was a serving RAF officer. He wrote for a number of security-related projects, including developments in NATO, European defence, missile defence proposals and global security issues. He served as a member of the panel of experts for the UK government's 1998 Strategic Defence Review, and gave evidence to the Defence Committee on the new