Sand Dollar!!! Dead or alive???

[King Supra]

I'm on vacation again this time in North Carolina in surf city and my little sister came back to the house with a baby sand dollar she found in the ocean. And my whole family was wondering if it's alive or not here are some pics.


It's very tiny please help!!!

 

[Sniperhank]

Dead. That's a skeleton.


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[King Supra]

How can you tell???

 

[chefbill]

It is white calcium, no flesh. Think of it as bone.

 

[King Supra]

But how can you tell between alive and dead???

 

[54seaweed]

Alive it would have flesh

Dead it's white and basically calcified

 

[King Supra]

If they break in half are they still alive or do they die??? I found one during spring break that got split in half from the waves and tide and that one was a dark grey looked nothing like this one

 

[Sniperhank]

It was probably alive at the time, but not long for the world like many things swept into shore like that.


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[Raleighfishnerd]

And if they are alive they will turn your skin yellow when you hold them

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[Mar23]

It's dead. That's the bone. The ones that are alive are brown and have tiny legs on one side. Kind of like a starfish. You can tell when they are alive. They feel furry, they move. This is a skeleton.


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[Mar23]

If they break in half are they still alive or do they die??? I found one during spring break that got split in half from the waves and tide and that one was a dark grey looked nothing like this one

The bone can also turn grey. They are usually not pure white until they have been in the sun for a while.


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[Mar23]

Alive



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[coralbandit]

 

[King Supra]

Thanks guys a bunch the beach were out I guess is known for sand dollars haha

 

[Fresh2o]

Thanks guys a bunch the beach were out I guess is known for sand dollars haha

If you travel south a few miles, Topsail Beach is famous for shark teeth.


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[King Supra]

Yeah I used to find them all the time on myrtle beach in South Carolina I love it