4.05" Fossil Crinoid Plate (Two Species) with Starfish - Indiana

Fossil Crinoid Plate (Two Species) with Starfish - Indiana #273738

This is a beautiful, 4.05" wide plate of detailed fossil crinoids and a starfish, collected from the famous crinoid beds of Crawfordsville, Indiana. These fossils have been microscopically prepared using air abrasives, revealing their intricate details and three dimensional preservation. The two crinoids include Cyathocrinites multibrachiatus (#17 - 2.75" long including stem) and Agaricocrinus americanus (#54 - 2.7" long including stem). The starfish is of the species Onychaster flexilis and can be found at the center of the calyx of the Cyathocrinites multibrachiatus. The stem of the Agaricocrinus americanus has been mounted to the rock.

Comes with an acrylic display stand.

Crinoids from the Ramp Creek Limestone were likely 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