Sculpted Stone

This is an absolutely stunning crinoid. It is a very rare Gennaeocrinus mourantae from the Middle Devonian of Ontario, Canada. A small pocket of these crinoids was discovered in the 1970s and quickly dug out. The shale lens that contained the crinoids was very weathered and almost all of the crinoids that were found were free of matrix and lacking stem. Only a handful of specimens were ever discovered that were still embedded in the matrix - this is one of those specimens. This type of crinoid has a heavily ornamented cup composed of stellate plates and biserial arms. These features are beautifully displayed on this 3-dimensional specimen. The long, flowing arms are complete to the very tips. They are extremely well-preserved in a ''splayed'' arrangement, and the fine pinnules of the arms are just incredible. Two long spikes are even seen protruding from the center of the crown! A section of the stem is still attached, and the LONG cirri are wonderfully showcased. The sea lily has exquisite detail and beautiful natural color preserved and is well showcased on the natural plate of shale - simply a museum quality display fossil. This is one of the most spectacular DEVONIAN crinoids that we have ever offered.

A Certificate of Authenticity from EXTINCTIONS is included with this specimen.