Identify a specimen... Sea-lily (Crinoid) Crinoidea

Sea-lilies, or crinoids, look like underwater plants and live on the sea-bed. They are fixed to the ground by roots and have long stalks and feathery arms. They were most abundant during the Silurian and are in decline today.   Crinoids are fairly hard to find complete, but fragments of stem are very common in Britain. Cross sections of these fragments can be a number of shapes, but are usually star-shaped or circular. They are made up of calcite plates called ossicles. Because they break up so easily, crinoid ossicles can collect on the ocean floor and form a kind of fossiliferous limestone called crinoidal limestone. See also: blastoids See also: brittle stars See also: sea urchins See also: starfish Return to Identify by Picture Return to Listed Flora & Fauna

All material copyright (c) 1999 - 2003 Sean Henry McMahon
| Sean | Credits | Legal |