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August 27, 2020: Crinoids

Sea lilies and feather stars, properly called crinoids (which means lily-like), are among some of the strangest of creatures that scientists encounter during the deep-sea expeditions. Although they appear plant-like in many respects, they in fact are animals, complete with a digestive system and a nervous system. These two crinoids were seen perched on the seafloor during the 2017 American Samoa Expedition: Suesuega o le Moana o Amerika Samoa expedition.

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 American Samoa. Download larger version (jpg, 535 KB).

Sea lilies and feather stars, properly called crinoids (which means lily-like), are among some of the strangest of creatures that scientists encounter during the deep-sea expeditions. Although they appear plant-like in many respects, they are in fact animals, complete with a digestive system and a nervous system. These two crinoids were seen perched on the seafloor during the 2017 American Samoa Expedition: Suesuega o le Moana o Amerika Samoa.

Read more about these animals in this mission log, “Crinoids!”.