handibles: Crawling stalked crinoid (sea lily), Grand Bahama Isle. “Here, we provide evidence collected in situ by submersible near Grand Bahama Island at a depth of 420 m for a different mode of crawling in stalked crinoids. Its most striking feature is a speed two orders of magnitude greater (~10-30 mm sec-1) than previously observed.”  “STALKED CRINOID LOCOMOTION, AND ITS ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS”, Baumiller & Messing, Paelaeontologica Electronica 2007 I’ve seen this before, but it remains one of the weirdest, creepiest and most fascinating thing I’ve ever come across.  Echinoderms are full of surprises™.  

handibles:

Crawling stalked crinoid (sea lily), Grand Bahama Isle.

“Here, we provide evidence collected in situ by submersible near Grand Bahama Island at a depth of 420 m for a different mode of crawling in stalked crinoids. Its most striking feature is a speed two orders of magnitude greater (~10-30 mm sec-1) than previously observed.” 

“STALKED CRINOID LOCOMOTION, AND ITS ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY IMPLICATIONS”, Baumiller & Messing, Paelaeontologica Electronica 2007

I’ve seen this before, but it remains one of the weirdest, creepiest and most fascinating thing I’ve ever come across.  Echinoderms are full of surprises™.