Crinoids & Starfish Last Updated: Dec.4,2011  Please be patient as there are many images to view

The term Crinoid refers to an extant (living) class of Echinoderms. These animals, commonly known as "sea lillies" and "feather stars", have a long history. They first appear in the fossil record in marine sediments deposited around 530 million years ago during the Cambrian period. Stemmed forms are called sea lillies because of their superficial resemblance to flowers. These stemmed crinoids became abundant in the middle Ordovician period, 470 million years ago, and flourished in the shallow inland seas of the Paleozoic Era. Though so abundant that many late Paleozoic limestone deposits are composed primarily of Crinoid skeletal parts, they nearly became extinct 240 million years ago at the end of the Paleozoic Era.
Fossil Crinoids were first gathered by the ancients and used for medicine, religion and adornment. Scientists described fossil crinoids decades before living forms were recognized. Many museums display these delicate and exquisite fossils.... we are proud to give you the chance to add them to your own private collection !!!