Help me put a name on it

[mislav]

I need help finding out what this critter is:

Not the shell, but the one sticking to it. The photo was taken in mid Adriatic.

 

[_Bella_]

Crinoid?

 

[mislav]

Thanks. Could you tell me more about them? I understand they're not starfishes but their relatives. Is that correct?

 

[_Bella_]

I don't know too much about them, other than they are filter feeding echinoderms. Sea cucumbers, sea and basket stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, are all also echinoderms. Other than that, I know that there are fossil records of crinoids dating back to the paleozoic era.
Oh, and they can be obnoxious! Jumping into the water column and attacking with no provocation at all!!

 

[gcbryan]

It looks like a Brittle Star to me.

 

[Midnight Star]

It looks like a Brittle Star to me.

That was going to be my guess also.

-----

Mike.

 

[archman]

It's a comatulid crinoid.

 

[alcina]

Here's a Crinoid Page to start with