Echmatocrinus
Echmatocrinus
Extinct genus of marine invertebrates
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.[1] Around 20 specimens of Echmatocrinus are known; these comprise < 0.02% of the community.[2][3]
The creature was a little like an inverted cone, with a crown of seven to ten tentacles.[3] Each tentacle was covered with small extensions. The cone itself was covered with irregularly arranged mineralised plates,[1] whose texture recalls that of the Burgess Shale echinoderm Walcottidiscus. The organisms lived a solitary lifestyle, although juveniles are sometimes attached to (or budding from) adults.[1]