Can you picture a sand dollar? The almost-flat white disc has a five-pointed flower petal shape on the back. In Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, numerous broken sand dollar pieces can be found mixed with shells. Look down as you walk near the shore and you’ll occasionally find a whole one, usually about the size of a half dollar.
Have you ever seen a live sand dollar? If you stroll the beach frequently, chances are you have. The live sand dollars found on the shoreline here are usually small (think bottle cap size), and can range in color from brown to gray and even a purplish tint. You can tell it’s alive by the fuzzy spines. When these sea dwellers die, the fuzz goes away and the sun bleaches them white, which is the way most of us recognize them.
Sand dollars are amazing creatures. Did you know they are cousins of the starfish? Below are a few more interesting facts about them.
- They eat with their hair. Yes, really! Sand dollars use the tiny hairs (cilia) to move food particles along their bodies to a mouth on the bottom side. That little mouth has a jaw with five teeth-like sections to grind up food. It can take as long as 15 minutes to finish “chewing.”
- In still water, they may stand vertically and bury their edge in the sand. When the water is rough, they lie flat or burrow under the sand. Young sand dollars swallow grains of sand to weigh themselves down.
- Sand dollars have growth rings on their exoskeleton that scientists can count to age them. They usually live six to 10 years.
Next time you are strolling on the beach, keep a watch out for the fuzzy little disc-shaped invertebrate. If you find one out of the water, please gently return it to its home. They can only survive a few minutes out of water.