Crinoid

Taxonomy

Phylum: Echinodermata

Class: Crinoidea

Diagnostic Features

Crown

Stalk

Pentaradial symmetry

Ossicles

Calyx

Pinnule

Holdfast

Way of life

Benthic (some pseudoplanktonic)

Filter feeders

Stratigraphic range

Ordovician to present

Advanced Notes

The heyday of the crinoids was the Palaeozoic, where they dominated shallow marine environments. Modern crinoids are exclusively deep marine, and the diversity of forms is far less than it was during the Paleozoic.

Were they victims of the increased grazing and predation pressure of the Mesozoic Marine Revolution?

Specimens

Browse crinoids

Links

youtube: modern crinoid behaving pseudoplanktonically. You can see the pinnules, crown and multiple stalks.

flickr: beautiful photographs of both living and fossil crinoids. Compare the levels of detail you can see, admire the colours, and spot the distinctive features that make these crinoids identifiable.