Super Decadocrinus Tumidulus Crinoid - Indiana

This is an extremely nice specimen of a more uncommon Crawfordsville crinoid, Decadocrinus tumidulus. It has great detail, is very inflated and is 2.6" long. Laying next to it is a partial crown of an undescribed Hylodecrinus.

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.