Description
- Crinoid (Sea Lily)
- Species: Jimbacrinus bostocki
- Age: Permian, 280 Million Years Old
- Source: Western Australia
- Size: 170x120mm
- Image shows exact item received.
- Collection only due to rarity
Crinoids are marine animals in the class Crinoidea, they are Echinoderms; related to starfish, brittle stars, and sea urchins. Predominantly found on the deep-sea seafloor, these ancient animals have maintained the same basic body shape for 480 million years. The basic body form of a crinoid is similar to that of a flower, hence their common name. They have a stem that attaches to the seabed with either a single holdfast or with a root-like structure called cirri. The stem is made up of a series of porous calcium-rich ossicles, and ends in the crown; comprised of a cup-like body known as the theca, and a set of five rays or arms, usually branched and feathery called pinnules. The mouth and anus are both located on the upper side of the theca, differentiating them from other echinoderm groups such as the sea urchins, starfish and brittle stars where the mouth is on the underside. The arms are used to filter feed on planktonic particles and detritus in the seawater and then move what they have caught to the mouth for digesting.
This Sea Lily fossil is of Jimbacrinus bostocki, an alien-looking species that was first discovered in 1949 by the manager of the Jimba Jimba cattle station in Western Australia, Mr. J. Bostock. The genus Jimbacrinus is named after the cattle ranch, and the species bostocki, after Mr Bostock. Jimbacrinus crinoids lived on the Permian seafloor some 280 million years ago. Fossils of these Western Australian crinoids are becoming increasingly difficult to find, since the best source is a river bed that undergoes frequent cycles of intense flooding and extreme desiccation.
