2" Fossil Crinoid (Scytalocrinus) - Indiana

Fossil Crinoid (Scytalocrinus) - Indiana #232242

This is a Scytalocrinus robustus crinoid from the Edwardsville Formation of Montgomery County, Indiana. The quality of preparation on this fossil is exquisite, using skillful air-abrasion techniques under a stereo microscope. The matrix has been almost completely removed from this specimen.

Crinoids, sometimes commonly referred to as sea lilies, are animals, not plants. They are echinoderms related to starfish, sea urchins, and brittle stars. Many crinoid traits are like other members of their phylum; such traits include tube feet, radial symmetry, a water vascular system, and appendages in multiples of five (pentameral). They first appeared in the Ordovician (488 million years ago) and some species are still alive today.

About Crinoids