Sand Dollar
Echinarachnius parma
Size: to 3"
Think of the Sand Dollar as a flattened Sea Urchin. They live on and slightly buried in sandy bottoms, at any depth.
Soak them in a bleach mixture and then rub off the spines with a rag to get a nice white keepsake. The tiny spines are like cactus needles and can be very irritating. Live Sand Dollars are pink; they turn green in death, and the indelible green pigment will rub off on anything it touches.
The spines are used like a conveyer belt to move grains of sand along the upper and lower surface of the animal, allowing it to crawl around the bottom and bury itself. They feed on organic material found in the sand, which is passed to the mouth by the tiny tube feet all over the body.