| Crinoids live only in seawater, and although uncommon today, they were very common in the geologic past. Crinoids have a stem that is attached to the seafloor with a holdfast and topped with a crown-shaped body, or calyx, which bears feathery arms. Although they are commonly known as "sea lillies," crinoids are ABSOLUTLY NOT plants. The arms gather small food particles from the water (algea) and transfer them to a mouth at the top of the calyx. The crinoid skeleton is composed of hundreds of tiny plates that usually fall apart when the animal dies. Crinoids are very much like Blastoids. |
