The Earth Story

mikeharrisonfossils

Another incredibly well preserved and detailed piece of crinoid I found recently that fits directly on to other pieces I have found. This species of crinoid known as pentacrinites fossilis, hung down from the underside of wood floating on the sea. There it would filter food from the water column. The colony would become too big and, or, the wood became water-logged and the whole thing sank to the sea bed where the colony met it's death and slowly became fossilised preserving the event in stunning detail! Found on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset UK 🇬🇧

🦕

mikeharrisonfossils Jurassic Coast Sea Lily just waiting to be rescued from the sea on the Dorset coast! Being referred to as Sea Lilys is a little mis-leading as they are not plants but animals, and related to echinoids and starfish. Recent unsettled weather has washed this 195 million year old marvel from an old landslip

brandonfossilsI found and prepared these fossil ‘sea lilies’.I have seen big waves smash a whole sheet of these specimens into little pieces. The sea in stormy conditions can destroy what it reveals.This video is of beautifully preserved crinoid fossil fragments-of the species Pentacrinities sp. from Lyme Regis .

fms.fossils This is a small crinoid fossil of the species Pentacrinites fossilis I found at Charmouth a few months ago. It was just a small single piece that was incredibly thin and delicate sticking out of the mud. When I cleaned it up at home I was pleasantly surprised by the detail! It shows a complete head that has been preserved with all of the arms and pinnules flowing over to the right hand side. This shows how water currents, or the movement of the crinoid through the water affected the positing of the animal as it came to rest on the seafloor. A nice little snapshot of history 196 million years old.