Detailed Crawfordsville Cladid Crinoid Cyathocrinites

Description: A well-preserved example of an Inadunate Cladid crinoid known as Cyathocrinites harrodi (Family Cyathocrinitidae). Its serially branching arms formed a most effective basket for filtering out the minute particles upon which it fed. This particular example has much of the stem attached, and shows the cirri which served as a root system (an individual rootlet is termed a cirrus), a system that reminds some of the roots of the mangrove. This is a fine specimen that would be a welcome addition to any collection of crinoids from Crawfordsville.