North America, Midwestern United States, Indiana, Crawfordsville, lower Mississippian, ca. 345 million years ago. A fossilized crinoid formation on a gray stone containing 5 crowns and a stem; professionally excavated and raised slightly above the surrounding matrix surface. Despite this plant-like appearance and nickname "sea lily," crinoids are sea creatures that are related to starfish and sea urchins. In life, these crinoids had a mouth on their top surface surrounded by feeding arms that filtered and captured food particles. Near the edge is a dark fossilized snail shell fragment. Crinoids and snails had a symbiotic relationship, the snails ate the fecal matter from the crinoids, although there is evidence that they may have been parasitic and bored directly into the crinoids' stomachs! The preservation and natural positions of Crawfordsville crinoids are some of the best on the market today! Size: 6.75" L x 5.5" W (17.1 cm x 14 cm)

Crinoids in Crawfordsville are highly desirable for their size, quality, and diversity of species. Many species of crinoids continue to live today, but during the prehistoric periods, they were much more abundant, and these animals would have been vibrant parts of that newly diverse ecosystem! Crinoids lived in shallow water and were often buried by sediment and silt during storms, where they fossilized. The relatively soft siltstone of the Indiana formation is ideal for excavating the crinoids and exposing amazing details from the once organic material. The preparation work that went into this piece to remove all the rock between the arms and stem sections to the level was extremely time-consuming and has yielded a fascinating display example.

Provenance: private Berthoud, Colorado, USA collection

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#184661

Professionally excavated and prepared. The central lone crinoid crown has a tiny repair to the stem and cusp area, small fissure with infill, and nearly indiscernible. Excellent preservation to the rest.