I found a huge sand dollar on Rodeo Beach today. Most sand dollars are under 3 inches. This one's over 3.5 inches across.
hotwheels
hotwheels
Huge Sand Dollar
- Thread starter hotwheels
- Start date
- Status
Originally Posted By: silverrat
Do you eat it?
That's just a hollow skeleton. The live sand dollars are filled with gooey goodness and have a furry outer layer, which is comprised of hairy spines that enable locomotion. They also have hydraulically operated tube feet. It is not often that you find live specimens on the beach, though it can happen. Since sand dollars are sea urchins, I presume they are edible, but I hope to never find out the answer to your question first-hand!
hotwheels
Do you eat it?
That's just a hollow skeleton. The live sand dollars are filled with gooey goodness and have a furry outer layer, which is comprised of hairy spines that enable locomotion. They also have hydraulically operated tube feet. It is not often that you find live specimens on the beach, though it can happen. Since sand dollars are sea urchins, I presume they are edible, but I hope to never find out the answer to your question first-hand!
hotwheels
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I have a 2.5 inch sand dollar but it doesn't have those "vericose veins". Are there different species for Atlantic vs Pacific? Is there some sort of dollar exchange in Panama?
I showed you mine, now show me yours. I know there are different species of sand dollars. Along the Atlantic coast they have (usually or always?) oblong holes passing through the skeleton, on the West coast they never have those holes. I have no idea about the function, if any, of the root-like pattern at the bottom. The only interesting trivia I have left is that sand dollars have five teeth in the centrally located feeding orifice and that they, sand dollars and not their teeth, are the favorite food of starfish.
hotwheels
I have a 2.5 inch sand dollar but it doesn't have those "vericose veins". Are there different species for Atlantic vs Pacific? Is there some sort of dollar exchange in Panama?
I showed you mine, now show me yours. I know there are different species of sand dollars. Along the Atlantic coast they have (usually or always?) oblong holes passing through the skeleton, on the West coast they never have those holes. I have no idea about the function, if any, of the root-like pattern at the bottom. The only interesting trivia I have left is that sand dollars have five teeth in the centrally located feeding orifice and that they, sand dollars and not their teeth, are the favorite food of starfish.
hotwheels
On our coast up here in Washington, large ones like that are very commonly found on our sandy beaches.
Last edited:
They look a bit different. Here is one that has limpets on it. And the limpets have more limpets.
hotwheels
hotwheels
^^Cool!
Very neat.
- Status
Similar threads
