Crinoid Fossils For Sale

Crinoids, sometimes commonly referred to as sea lilies, are animals and not plants. They are echinoderms related to starfish, sea urchins, and brittle stars. Crinoids are marine filter feeders that have a collection of branching arms on top of a stem. While most spend their lives fixed to the bottom of the ocean, some are free swimming or capable of crawling. Their calcium carbonate skeletons make great detailed fossils.

119 Items ($695 to $2,495)

Spectacular Crinoid (Glyptocrinus) Plate - Maysville, Kentucky #282168

12.9" Spectacular Crinoid (Glyptocrinus) Plate - Maysville, Kentucky

$2,495

Fossil Crinoids and Horn Coral - Crawfordsville, Indiana #296788

10" Fossil Crinoids and Horn Coral - Crawfordsville, Indiana

$1,995

Two Fossil Crinoids with Coral - Indiana #273742

8.7" Two Fossil Crinoids with Coral - Indiana

$1,395

Ordovician Fossil Crinoid Plate - Marzane, Morocco #290468

31" Ordovician Fossil Crinoid Plate - Marzane, Morocco

$1,295

Ordovician Fossil Crinoid Plate - Marzane, Morocco #290843

33.8" Ordovician Fossil Crinoid Plate - Marzane, Morocco

$1,250

Fossil Crinoid Plate (Four Species) - Crawfordsville, Indiana #243934

7.9" Fossil Crinoid Plate (Four Species) - Crawfordsville, Indiana

$795

Plate With Two Fossil Crinoids (Encrinus) - Germany #240215

14" Plate With Two Fossil Crinoids (Encrinus) - Germany

$695

Pyrite Replaced Crinoid (Seirocrinus) Plate - Holzmaden, Germany #165880

35" Pyrite Replaced Crinoid (Seirocrinus) Plate - Holzmaden, Germany

SOLD

Slab Of Limestone Covered In Crinoids - Gilmore City, Iowa #199148

30" Slab Of Limestone Covered In Crinoids - Gilmore City, Iowa

SOLD

Pyrite Replaced Fossil Crinoid (Seirocrinus) - Holzmaden, Germany #144121

30" Pyrite Replaced Fossil Crinoid (Seirocrinus) - Holzmaden, Germany

SOLD

Plate Of Fossil Crinoids & Sea Urchins - Gilmore City, Iowa #199135

23" Plate Of Fossil Crinoids & Sea Urchins - Gilmore City, Iowa

SOLD

Museum Quality Crinoid Plate ( Species) - Indiana #50960

20" Museum Quality Crinoid Plate (6 Species) - Indiana

SOLD

Scyphocrinites Crinoid Plate - Museum Quality Display #40477

40" Scyphocrinites Crinoid Plate - Museum Quality Display

SOLD

Plate of Eleven Alien-Looking Jimbacrinus Crinoids - Australia #188634

9" Plate of Eleven Alien-Looking Jimbacrinus Crinoids - Australia

SOLD

Crinoid (Scyphocrinites) Plate - Museum Quality Display #133089

48" Crinoid (Scyphocrinites) Plate - Museum Quality Display

SOLD

Huge x Scyphocrinites Crinoid Plate - Morocco #10467

Huge 33x27" Scyphocrinites Crinoid Plate - Morocco

SOLD

Plate With Two Fossil Crinoids (Encrinus) & Brachiopods - Germany #159677

16" Plate With Two Fossil Crinoids (Encrinus) & Brachiopods - Germany

SOLD

Plate With Two Large Fossil Crinoids (Encrinus) - Germany #159676

14" Plate With Two Large Fossil Crinoids (Encrinus) - Germany

SOLD

Actinocrinites Crinoid With Agaricocrinus - Crawfordsville, Indian #56460

13" Actinocrinites Crinoid With Agaricocrinus - Crawfordsville, Indian

SOLD

Floating Crinoid (Pterocoma) Fossil - Solnhofen Limestone #165849

6.9" Floating Crinoid (Pterocoma) Fossil - Solnhofen Limestone

SOLD

Plate of Five Jimbacrinus Crinoid Fossils - Australia #155927

5.5" Plate of Five Jimbacrinus Crinoid Fossils - Australia

SOLD

Fossil Crinoid Plate (Seventeen Species) -Crawfordsville, Indiana #197612

9.6" Fossil Crinoid Plate (Seventeen Species) -Crawfordsville, Indiana

SOLD

Fossil Crinoid Plate (Three Species) - Crawfordsville, Indiana #197523

7.7" Fossil Crinoid Plate (Three Species) - Crawfordsville, Indiana

SOLD

Crinoid Plate ( species) - Indiana #95203

14.3" Crinoid Plate (10 species) - Indiana

SOLD

Platycrinites Crinoid Plate - Crawfordsville, Indiana #115084

13.8" Platycrinites Crinoid Plate - Crawfordsville, Indiana

SOLD

Crinoid (Actinocrinites) With Long Stem - Crawfordsville #92533

12.1" Crinoid (Actinocrinites) With Long Stem - Crawfordsville

SOLD

Exceptional, Crinoid Plate (Gaurocrinus) - Quebec #92471

Exceptional, 4.5" Crinoid Plate (Gaurocrinus) - Quebec

SOLD

Incredible, D, Jimbacrinus Crinoid - Australia #21909

Incredible, 3D, 4.2" Jimbacrinus Crinoid - Australia

SOLD

D Devonian Crinoid (Cupressocrinites) - Morocco #213237

11.8" 3D Devonian Crinoid (Cupressocrinites) - Morocco

SOLD

Eleven Species of Crinoids on One Plate - Crawfordsville, Indiana

SOLD

What Is A Crinoid?

Crinoids are echinoderms of the class Crinoidea. Though they are often called Sea Lilies for their flower-like appearance, they are in fact animals. Their anatomy consists of a stem and calyx, a cup-like structure containing the internal organs. Branching arms called brachials extend from the calyx to filter food from the water column. Most live fixed to the bottom but a number of species are able to crawl or swim. There are 800 genera of crinoids containing 6000 species, about 700 of which are still living.

More Information: FossilCrinoids.com

When Did Crinoids Evolve?

The earliest true crinoids appear in the lower Ordovician, about 488 million years ago. They survived the Silurian and Permian Extinction events. Their peak diversity occurred between these two events during the Mississippian, 359-330 million years ago.

When Did Crinoids Die Out?

Crinoids narrowly survived the Permian Extinction and they have never reached the levels of diversity they experienced during the Mississippian but crinoids still inhabit the world oceans today. There are about 700 species living today mostly in shallow water, but about 80 live in deep water below the reach of sunlight.

What Do Crinoids Look Like?

Crinoids look like flowers growing on the seafloor. Despite the appearance, they are not plants but animals. Their bodies consist of a holdfast, a stem, calyx (body), and brachials. The holdfast hold the organism in place on the ocean floor, the stem is a stack of calcium carbonate rings on top of each other, and the calyx holds the animal's organs in a shape a bit like a cup. Extending out of the calyx, the brachials are arms covered with fibers called pinnules that filter food from the water. Like most echinoderms, their bodies are arranged in a pentameral pattern.

What Do Crinoid Fossils Look Like?

Fossil crinoids are rarely found in their entirety. Most often the calyx and the stem are all that is preserved. Usually it is the calyx with bare brachials or just the calyx itself. The pinnules on the brachials are so small and fine that they generally do not survive fossilization. Because the stem is made up of a stack of rings, it tends to fall apart after the organism dies. If they are preserved in the fine limestone like that of the central United States, very detailed preservation occurs.

Were Crinoids Able To Move?

Most Crinoids do not move. They are anchored to a rock or other part of the ocean bottom. A few species are capable of moving from place to place by crawling across the seafloor or by swimming. Unlike the kind that are anchored to the bottom, the crawling and swimming types do not have the holdfast to anchor themselves to the bottom. Swimming species often don’t have the stem or the holdfast. Both the swimming and crawling species move by waving their brachials (arms).

Where Are Crinoid Fossils Found?

Crinoid fossils can be found in rocks around the world aged from the Ordovician to the present, though they are most prevalent in Mississippian-aged rocks. Some of the best crinoid fossils in the world come from the Midwestern United States. The most famous crinoid fossil locality, due to both abundance and incredible preservation, is Crawfordsville, Indiana.

CRINOID FOSSILS FOR SALE

What Is A Crinoid?

When Did Crinoids Evolve?

When Did Crinoids Die Out?

What Do Crinoids Look Like?

What Do Crinoid Fossils Look Like?

Were Crinoids Able To Move?

Where Are Crinoid Fossils Found?