Facts about Sea Lily

1. 07

   Relatives of sea lilies called feather stars, or comatulids, evolved the ability to detach and crawl or swim freely without a permanent stalk.

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2. 06

   Sea lily larvae drift as free-swimming plankton for weeks before settling onto the seafloor and metamorphosing into their sedentary adult form.

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3. 05

   A sea lily's cup-shaped body, called a calyx, contains the mouth opening on its upper surface and can regenerate lost arms within several months.

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4. 04

   Most sea lilies remain permanently attached to the seafloor by a flexible stalk throughout their adult lives, unlike their mobile echinoderm relatives.

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5. 03

   Fossilized sea lily stems dating back 300 million years to the Carboniferous period formed limestone deposits thick enough to be quarried commercially for building material.

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6. 02

   The arms of sea lilies contain thousands of tiny tube feet that filter plankton from water currents passing through their feathery structures.

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7. 01

   Over 600 living species of crinoids, the modern sea lilies, inhabit ocean depths ranging from 200 to 6,000 meters worldwide.

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