[2] Encrinus possessed a large cup-[1] or crown-like structure at the top of its body, which has been described as resembling "an unopened tulip.

When opened, the arms and pinnules formed a kind of "feeding fan", used to catch prey such as plankton.

[1] "Microscopic interpinnular channels" suggest that Encrinus may have been an active filter feeder, creating its own currents by beating its cilia.

It is known that the arms could shut tightly in life (most Encrinus fossils are found in this position), but it is difficult to estimate the greatest angle at which they could open.

Any particles of food that the animal caught would be passed down the arms and below the tegmen via grooves, eventually leading to cilia, which in turn led to the mouth.