I am wealthy with sand dollars!
A week or two ago I posted a photo of a star fish that my girlfriend had given me from Santa Clara beach. I also commented that even though we are only about 20 miles down the coast from Santa Clara, I have yet to find a starfish or sand dollar on the beaches of Coronado. When another friend read my post he offered up his treasures to me, since he was leaving the country. My photo today is only a small fraction of the treasures that were in the bag that I was handed! Thank you Kent!!
When I began pulling each one out of the bag, I asked myself “What exactly are sand dollars anyway and how do they ‘live’ in the ocean?” Well, first off I learned that in New Zealand, sand dollars are known as sea cookies or snapper biscuits, while in South Africa they are called pansy shells. Interesting names, particularly when these are live beings that exist in our oceans. They actually belong to the sea urchin family. The floral pattern on the top of them are actually pores! I’m amazed at the symmetry of them (I LOVE symmetry!) and learned that they even have front-to-back bilateral symmetry. Once again, I am blown away by the creations of nature!
