Well Preserved 3.3" Phanocrinus Crinoid - Alabama

Well Preserved Phanocrinus Crinoid - Alabama #42793

This is a very nice specimen of a Mississipian aged crinoid (Phanocrinus bellulus) from Alabama. It has been cleaned using air abrasives. You don't often see Alabama crinoids this nice, and they rarely have any stem still attached like this example.

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