Pacific sand dollars are found off California's coast, resembling a pile of purple sea cookies. They are covered in tiny spines and use tube feet to sift through sand for food. Sand dollars can also stand on their sides to catch plankton. The petaloid part aids in breathing. Unlike their rocky-shore relatives, they thrive in sandy ocean environments. To stay anchored on the sea floor, they ingest heavy grains of magnetite, helping them withstand strong currents.
But this sand dollar is just an empty husk ... a skeleton.
Off the coast of California, Pacific sand dollars snuggle up together, like a big pile of purple sea cookies.
Sand dollars eat sand. They're after the algae and bacteria that coat the grains.
In fact, sand dollars are just a type of flat sea urchin.
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