3.5" Agaricocrinus Crinoid With Cyathocrinites - Crawfordsville

Agaricocrinus Crinoid With Cyathocrinites - Crawfordsville #57031

This is a pair of well preserved crinoid fossils from the famous crinoid beds in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The larger crinoid is a 3.5" long (including stem) Agaricocrinus splendens while the smaller one is Cyathocrinites. Both specimens have been prepared using air abrasives and are well preserved. It comes with an acrylic display stand.

It is believed that crinoids from the Ramp Creek Limestone were 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