The ancient mystery of Platycrinus saffordi, the mysterious sea lily of the past, is finally revealed.

 

Long ago, in the past of Earth, there was a beautiful animal called Platycrinus saffordi that lived in the oceans. These amazing fossils, found in Indiana’s famous Crawfordsville fauna, take us back in time to a time before even the time of the great dinosaurs. This sea lily was formed in the upper Lower Carboniferous period, which is about 330.9 to 346.7 million years ago. Its secrets still amaze and interest people today.

While Platycrinus saffordi is sometimes called a “sea lily,” it’s important to note that crinoids, like this one, are not plants but rather creatures of the deep. Think of them as ghostly starfish attached to long stalks that sway softly on the ocean floor. These filter-feeding echinoderms have a special place in the history of life on Earth. Their preserved remains tell us a lot about how the oceans worked in the past.

The interesting thing about crinoids is not just that they exist, but also that they are still around today. A lot of the mysterious creatures in this group have died out, but some are still alive and well in our seas today. But they are now very rare, which is very different from how common they were in prehistoric seas.

When we look at the picture of the crown of Platycrinus saffordi, we can see a world that existed before many of the most common living things today came into being. This object is part of the famous Crawfordsville fauna, which is a great trove of well-preserved crinoid fossils. A mind-boggling 63 different species have been discovered in this amazing collection. Each one helps us learn more about the ancient seascape.

This sea lily’s stem is made up of columnals that look like tiny coins. It shows off the unique beauty of these ancient creatures. Most crinoid fossils that have been found still have their stems and columnals mostly whole, giving us a glimpse of how beautiful they used to be. Still, the fully preserved crowns or heads shown in the picture are not common. Due to their fragility and the natural process of decomposition that happens when a creature dies, these structures often break apart and spread out.

We are given both a task and a promise as we carefully read through the records of the past to figure out what creatures like Platycrinus saffordi left behind. Using hints carved into stone to put together the puzzle of their lives and the environment is what makes it hard. On the other hand, the promise is the exciting possibility of finding secrets that connect the past with the present. Every find, artifact, and picture like the one we’re looking at today shows how fascinating Earth’s past inhabitants were and how they left an indelible mark on the fabric of life.