Sea lily is a sea animal that looks like a flower. It belongs to a group of spiny-skinned animals called echinoderms. This group also includes starfish and sea urchins. Sea lilies were abundant in prehistoric times, but only a few kinds remain today.
Sea lilies live mostly in deep ocean waters. The animal attaches itself to the ocean bottom with its stalk. The main part of the body, called the calyx, is on top of the stalk. The mouth faces upward from the center of the calyx. Featherlike arms extend from the calyx into the water current. The arms have small shoots that collect food and pass it in grooves to the mouth. Sea lilies eat tiny aquatic organisms.
Closely related animals called feather stars resemble sea lilies in appearance. However, feather stars break from their stalks when young and live free, often on tropical coral reefs. Feather stars can swim short distances by waving their arms up and down. There are more kinds of feather stars than sea lilies. Many people refer to feather stars and sea lilies as crinoids.
