A stunning example of a crinoid fossil of the species Pentacrinites fossilis from the world-famous Jurassic Coast beach of Charmouth, Dorset UK.
The piece of shale rock measures 125 mm (4.95 inches) across, which is large for a crinoid fossil. The fossil consists of a multiple crinoid stems running across one another with highly detailed attachment cirri still in situ. It is an unusual example as it is still preserved on the driftwood that the animals lived on in life. This wood is hard to preserve but in this fossil it has been stabilised and is now very solid. It is preserved in limestone in the original shale with no pyrite. These crinoids are very sought after and not easy to find these days. A real one-off example from an iconic location.
Around 196 million years old (Sinemurian, Early Jurassic), this fossil would make a wonderful addition to any collection.
Crinoids are echinoderms closely related to starfish and sea urchins, and have been around for many hundreds of millions of years. They still live today in the deep seas around the world.