Echmatocrinus
Echmatocrinus Temporal range:
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Echmatocrinus brachiatus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | incertae sedis |
Genus: | †Echmatocrinus |
Species: | †E. brachiatus
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Binomial name | |
†Echmatocrinus brachiatus Sprinkle 1973
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Echmatocrinus is a Cambrian animal which resembles a crinoid or an octocoral. Its exact taxonomy is still a subject of debate. It is known only from the Burgess shale. 5 specimens of Echmatocrinus are known from the Greater Phyllopod bed, where they comprise < 0.1% of the community.
The creature was a little like an inverted cone, with a crown of seven to nine tentacles. Each tentacle was covered with small extensions. The cone itself was covered with irregularly arranged mineralised plates. The organisms lived a solitary lifestyle, although juveniles are sometimes attached to (or budding from) adults.