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Description: | This is an almost complete example of a crinoid. Crinoids are animals related to starfish and sea urchins and live in the sea attached to the seabed. They are often mistaken for plants because of their long stems and flower-like bodies, hence the common name of 'sea lilies'. The body (cup or calyx) of the crinoid supported a series of delicate arms which were used to filter microscopic particles of food from the sea water. Crinoid skeletons are made of calcium carbonate (calcite) and are very fragile. Normally, after death, the crinoid falls to pieces and it is very rare to find a complete example such as this one. | License: | http://www.imagine.org.uk/about/copyright/ | Rights holder: | Tyne & Wear Museums | Subjects: | fossils natural world | Source: | Tyne and Wear Imagine | Identifier: | http://www.imagine.org.uk/details/index.... | Go to resource |
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