Why are sand dollars called sand dollars?

Common name. The term “sand dollar” derives from the appearance of the tests (skeletons) of dead individuals after being washed ashore. The test lacks its velvet-like skin of spines and has often been bleached white by sunlight.

What is the story behind the sand dollar?

Sand dollars are actually burrowing sea urchins. When they wash up on the beach and are bleached by the sun, they look like a large silver coin, hence the moniker. A legend about these creatures says they represent the story of Christ: And if you break open a sand dollar, five dove-shaped pieces emerge.

Why is it illegal to take a sand dollar?

It’s illegal in many states to collect living sand dollars for the express purpose of drying them out and using them as decoration, and it’s just plain cruel no matter what the law says. The fine is $500 for taking live sea creatures from South Carolina beaches.

Why do sand dollars look the way they do?

Contrary to the porcelain-like texture of their gift shop-popular skeletons, living sand dollars are covered in flexible bristles — known as spines — that hide their star design. 1 When it dies, its skeleton (the “test”) becomes bleached by the sun, turning it white, and the small spines fade away.

Who named the sand dollar?

When dead sea urchins wash ashore, their skeletons, or tests, are bleached white by the sun. Beachgoers thought they looked like a large silver coin like the old American or Spanish dollar. So they started calling them sand dollars. But these sea urchins are also called sand cakes, cake urchins and sea cookies.

Is it illegal to take dead sand dollars from the beach in Florida?

Sand dollars are entrancingly beautiful and commonly found on beaches in Florida. But some might wonder: is it illegal to take dead sand dollars from the beach in Florida? In Florida, as long as the sand dollar is dead when you find it, it’s perfectly legal to take it home from the beach.

What are the little things inside a sand dollar?

This shell is called a test and is the endoskeleton of a sand dollar, a burrowing sea urchin. The shell is left behind when the sand dollar dies and its velvety spines fall off to reveal a smooth case underneath. The test may be white or grayish in color and has a distinct star-shaped marking in its center.

Can a sand dollar hurt you?

While sand dollars can emit a harmless yellow material called echinochrome, the sand dollars are absolutely not poisonous and you can touch them without fear whether they are alive or dead. Alive sand dollars should be put back in the water, though, and left alone.

What lives inside a sand dollar?

sea urchin
This shell is called a test and is the endoskeleton of a sand dollar, a burrowing sea urchin. The shell is left behind when the sand dollar dies and its velvety spines fall off to reveal a smooth case underneath.

What lives inside sand dollars?

What is the largest sand dollar ever found?

According to Official Guinness Records, The largest sand dollar measures 14.8 cm (5.826 in) at its smallest diameter and was found by Dan Manna (USA) in Holmes Beach, Florida, USA, on 11 May 2013.