Fossil Crinoid, Coral & Brachiopod Association - Indiana

This is a cool association of three different types of fossils from the Edwardsville Formation in Crawfordsville, Indiana. There is a large crinoid stem running across the plate with several clusters of fossil coral (Cladochonus beecheri) attached to it. There is a nice 1.7" Forbesiocrinus crinoid with stem to the right of it, crowns of three other unidentified crinoids and a brachiopod (Leptaena). One of the crinoid heads may have been composited onto the plate, but everything else is in it's natural position. The entire matrix measures 5.8x5.4"

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