Uintacrinus Fossil Crinoid Etched in Brass On Artblock

8 X 6 I have always thought that Crinoid fossils are among the most beautiful of fossils with their graceful, flowing arms. & the contrast of the enlarged domed body just adds to its beauty. A slab of crinoid fossils with arms tangled & intertwined was acid etched on a brass sheet . The body of the crinoid was hammered & formed into shape & attached to a wood Artblock. Coloring was added to heighten the detail. A hanger is affixed to the back for hanging on a wall or it can stand on a table or shelf.This comes with an informative label about the science behind the design. Each item is handmade & hand colored so there may be subtle variations from one to another. Each one is unique. UINTACRINUS Crinoids are a subgroup of the Phylum Echinodermata which includes sea stars, brittle stars, sea urchins, & sea cucumbers. This group has a long fossil record extending back 530 million years. There are about 700 living species of crinoids & an astounding 15,000 fossil species! Uintacrinus is an unusual crinoid. First, it occurs in very large masses, sometimes over 1200 densely packed individuals. The body is a fist sized sphere & bears 10 arms, up to 1m (3ft) in length, for capturing food.Secondly, Uintacrinus had a near global distribution in the Late Cretaceous oceans of the world some 80 million years ago. First found in the Uinta Mountains of Utah, its fossils are now known from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, India, & Australia! These unusual features make understanding the biology of Uintacrinus a challenge & there are several competing interpretations. One has Uintacrinus colonies living on or near the sea floor & its wide distribution is because its larvae spent a long time drifting in the surface waters. A contrasting view is that Uintacrinus colonies passively floated widely in the surface of the Cretaceous oceans, their long arms hanging downwards & capturing food that floated beneath them. Often the more specimens of a fossil you have the better you come to understand that organism. Uintacrinus is an exception to that rule. Hopefully future studies will clear up this mystery. Uintacrinus Fossil Crinoid Etched in Brass On Artblock