This is a beautiful fossil Cyathocrinites harrodi crinoid from the Mississippian Edwardsville formation of Crawfordsville, Indiana! The crinoid has fantastic prep work, beautiful arms and pinnules, and no repair or restoration! It measures about 1.5 x 1.25 inches and is the plate of matrix it was found on which measures 4.5 x 4 x .7 inches (1.25 inches thick including the crinoid)!
Despite their resemblance to plants, Crinoids are actually animals. They are echinoderms, a group of animals that includes starfish. Crinoids first appeared about 480 million years ago. They look like flowers and are sometimes called sea lilies. The “flower”, called a calyx or crown, had multiple arms that would filter food particles from the water and put them in the mouth in the center of the arms. They attach themselves via a stem or stalk and roots called a holdfast to the bottom of the sea floor. There around 600 living species and many more in the fossil record. Most crinoid fossils consist of pieces of their stems and individual plates that make up the calyx. Complete crinoids are highly sought after, beautiful, natural pieces of art that make wonderful additions to any fossil collection!
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Species: Cyathocrinites harrodi
Size: 1.5 x 1.25 inches (crinoid), 4.5 x 4 x .7 inches (1.25 inches thick including the crinoid) (rock)
Found: Crawfordsville, Indiana
Formation: Edwardsville Formation
Age: ~350 million years
Alteration: None