Spectacular Platycrinites Crinoid - 4.8"

This is a large and spectacular specimen of the crinoid Platycrinites saffordi from Crawfordsville, Indiana. The crown on this beast is 3 1/2 inches long and it's wonderfully detailed. It was prepared and identified by one of the best fossil preparators out there, who's done a ton of work on these crinoids. This is truly an impressive specimen.

Crinoids are commonly known as sea lilies, though they are animals, not plants. They are echinoderms related to starfish, sea urchins, and brittle stars. They attached themselves to the sea floor and had feathery, tentacle-like appendages which they used to capture particles of food. First appearing in the Ordovician period, 488 million years ago, they still survive to this day in deep water.