Species · GBIF taxon 2279041
Common Sand Dollar
Echinarachnius parmaAlso known as Northern Sand Dollar, New England Sand Dollar
Common sand dollars are flat, disc-shaped sea urchins covered in a dense carpet of tiny, dark purple or brown spines that help them burrow into sandy seafloors. They use specialized tube feet on their upper surface to breathe, revealing a distinctive five-petaled pattern when their skeleton washes ashore. These marine invertebrates play a vital role in bioturbation, constantly turning over and aerating the top layers of coastal sediment.
MarineInvertebrateBurrowing
- diet
- Diatoms, organic detritus, and microscopic algae filtered from the sand
- family
- Echinarachniidae
- threats
- Ocean acidification, bottom trawling, and coastal pollution
- life Span
- Up to 10 to 15 years
NE
Safe to handle gently; return live individuals to the water immediately.
- Check for color: Live sand dollars are reddish-brown or purple and covered in fuzzy spines; do not collect them.
- Handle with care: Their skeletons, or tests, are fragile and break easily under pressure.
- Return to water: If you find a live sand dollar stranded by the tide, gently place it back in the water.