The term "sea lily" is a bit of a misnomer because sea lilies are not actually lilies, and they don't live in the sea as we commonly think of it. Instead, they are marine animals that belong to a group called crinoids. These creatures earned the name "sea lilies" because of their resemblance to the flower, but their similarity ends there.
Sea lilies are filter-feeding echinoderms, related to sea stars and sea urchins. They have a long stem-like structure, which is composed of many segments, and a flower-like structure at the top, known as the calyx. The calyx contains the feeding apparatus, including feather-like arms covered in tiny tube feet. These arms are used to capture small particles, such as plankton, from the surrounding water.
The name "sea lily" might have stuck because of the feathery appearance of their arms, which looks somewhat like the petals of a flower. These organisms are not plants but animals, and they live on the ocean floor, often attached to rocks or other substrates, swaying with the currents to capture food.
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The name "sea lily" might have stuck because of the feathery appearance of their arms, which looks somewhat like the petals of a flower. These organisms are not plants but animals, and they live on the ocean floor, often attached to rocks or other substrates, swaying with the currents to capture food.
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