Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Crinoids.


Again, I am posting a family of animals, not an individual species. But collectively, these are equally fascinating. Sea Lillies, as they are often called, are not in fact lillies, but a type of sea star. Sure, they might look a little boring to some, but I assure you they are not. They come in all colors and sizes, and house shrimp and lobsters (seen above) that blend in almost perfectly depending on which color crinoid it lives in.

Other fun facts are they are like lizards in their defense: They can drop stalks to have predators attack a detached stalk rather than the living being (lizards can drop their tails so birds attack that instead of the lizard). In other news, they date back to about 350,000,000 years ago, and the largest fossil ever found had a stem of about 40 meters long (130 ft.)!

The best part about them: Their scurry. Generally, they stay in place and just creep along the bottom to avoid predators or attention. Occassionally, though, when particularly threatened, they will "sprint" to safety. They look like graceful spiders in a hurry:



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