Pair Of Crinoids (Platycrinites) - Huntsville, Alabama

This is a plate of limestone with several detailed Platycrinites penicillus crinoid fossils from the Monteagle Formation of Alabama. There are two crowns on one side of the rock measuring 1.4" and .9" length as well as two smaller ones on the reverse side. They have been prepared with air abrasives and the specimen includes a display stand. There is some restoration to the base of the crinoid crown hanging off the edge of the rock.

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