Large, Actinocrinites Crinoid With Starfish - Crawfordsville, Indiana

This is a spectacular, 3D Actinocrinites collected from the famous crinoid deposits in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Actinocrinites is one of the more sought after crinids from the locality due to it's large size and impressive preservation. What makes it really special is there is a rare, fossil starfish (Onychaster flexilis) wrapped up in the crown.

The entire crinoid is 3.9" long and it's located on a 6.5x4.6" piece of limestone. There is a lot some repairs and gap fill work done to the matrix surround it. Comes with a display stand.

Crinoids from the Ramp Creek Limestone were likely buried in sediment from nearby deltas during storms. The resulting siltstone deposits are soft enough that fossils can be extracted in exquisite, three-dimensional relief.

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