“Sand dollars can't survive out of the water for more than a few minutes. If you find a live one, return it to its home by placing it gently on the sea floor, so it can continue to play its important role in Sanibel's ecosystem.” Sanibel Sea School
My sister and I went beachcombing yesterday and we found maybe 5 or 6 live sand dollars washed up on the shore. They were very dormant but as soon as we put them back in the water they started doing their thing. They’re so furry and cute. I was lucky enough to find a complete five slotted sand dollar test yesterday
I just got back from Florida, where I found my first sand dollar. After finding it, I started looking for more, but only found two more live ones. One I was absolutely certain was alive, because I found it when I scooped up a handful of sand, where it was buried. I took a few pictures then set it back on the bottom. The other one I wasn't sure, because it was lying on the bottom, upside down, in about 4 feet of water. It was still fuzzy, so I released it, but I do wonder about that one. Thanks for your videos! I just recently discovered your channel looking for a way to clean a sand dollar my wife and daughter found a few years ago. Your channel is GREAT!
@@SWFBeachLife so far, after only a few hours, some of the barnacles are flashing off, so I have hopes it's work well after a day or so. Thanks for the reply!
Isn't it amazing? I never even thought about where they came from until I moved here and found a live one. They're so cool!! I'm glad you got a chance to meet some for yourself 🤗
Thank you so much for this wonderful, informative video. I learned so much. I never knew how to tell if a sand dollar were alive or not. I just assumed when they were dark they were alive and I was always told when white you could take those because they were dead. All your videos have really opened my eyes. Sadly I have no place to look for them. I wish I did as it would be so exciting looking for sand dollars, starfish and shells. You don’t know what it means to me watching the videos you make. I just love walking along with you. So I thank you.❤️
You are so very welcome! I had a fantastic walk last weekend and found tons of shells AND critters. I'll be sharing that in a few weeks. I found a really, really cool live critter that I've never found before!
Thanks for sharing. I have one I found ages ago on Honeymoon Island. It's a big one. I'll have to measure it but it's more than 3 inches. Last time we went to Sanibel they were everywhere in the water. I had to walk so carefully and the water was all muddy so we couldn't see them. I had a sand scooper and every time we put it in a sand dollar came up. It was funny and annoying.
I didn't want to walk in the water because these guys were EVERYWHERE, so I got some snorkel equipment and picked the dead ones out. I got a TON! Hopefully I can do it again in a few months - fingers crossed!
You are so welcome! I didn't know anything about these guys when I moved here but I'm lucky enough to find the live critters along with the dead ones that I can keep ☺️
I LOVE SAND DOLLARS!!!!!! I HV BEEN COLLECTING SINCE AM LITTLE.am 56! Now. And my little neice LOVES THEM ALSO! Shes fascinated!!! By it. Lol. My family and friends hv no clue ab sand dollars. They think am weired. Lol
I always thought that sand dollars were some sort of formed thing made of sand, like an imprint made from something, or like a fossil, but more quickly formed.
Thank you! I’m going to the beach soon and would love this information. I was wondering. When you find a dead sand dollar you can crack it open right? It might sound dumb to some people but I honestly would love to know!
Yes, there are "doves" in the sand dollars that are actually part of their mouth. I picked up a ton of sand dollars last night on my tour to the Marco Island area and I will be opening a sand dollar in one of my upcoming episodes again. I did it once in the part - here's a peek: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6EWKKhTgyvE.html
They can survive a little while out of the water - I don't know exactly for how long, but if I had to guess I would say a few hours at most. Thank you for moving them back into the water! 🐚❤️
Yes they are! They are urchins and I found this online to help explain: Sand dollars are primarily found in tropical coastal regions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean. They live on sandy and muddy ocean floors mostly in low subtidal zones of protected bays but also in deeper waters up to 40m (131 feet).
@@SWFBeachLife actually there is a way. An old man showed me how years ago. I was successful that day as I found like 10-12 in that afternoon. Now, I am an old man and can’t remember.
@@mehrdadyektaparast1368 Sorry - I meant I don’t look for the live ones. I figure they are busy doing their thing. Typically I only find them if some of their body is exposed. Otherwise they are buried and you can’t see them.
@SWFBeachlife ~ Does sand dollars have like doves shape inside of them? I heard if you break them open they do have it. Is it true?? It is my dream/bucket list too go too the beach.
Yes, it is true! I did open up a sand dollar to show the doves and share the legend in a previous video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6EWKKhTgyvE.html
I had a box of sand dollars given to me and I have a perplexing situation or question I am not crazy but everything I have read says one I have is still alive is this possible
I was in the Bahamas and I found a light green Sandollar I had never seen one before so I picked it up and I was holding it and it stung me it felt like five or six bees stings all at once it left an imprint on the bottom of my hand of the star. Have you ever heard of this before?
I also wanted to say how much I have enjoyed the 2 videos that I have watched. I am very envious of you being able to go to the beach any time you want. I live in Colorado and there aren’t any beaches around here. I look forward to seeing more of your videos. Thank you for sharing them with us.
I have not ever heard of anything like this! I tried to do some research to find anything that would explain it and I couldn't find anything. That is so weird! I got stung my an urchin on my foot in Jamaica - those guys are NO JOKE!
I'm pretty lucky to live where I do and I love that I can share the beaches down here with others who can't be here themselves. I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment and thanks so much for watching my videos!
@@spice6966 did you get stung by one? You are the only person that I have ever heard of that knows about them, other than the 3 other people who were with me when it happened.
I think they got their name because they look like coins when they're dead on the beach. Either way, they're a super cool animal that has a pretty awesome skeleton!
We were exploring the beaches for sand dollars all of which where dead but 3 where questionable, 3 of them still had their spines and tube feet but one is missing quite a lot of spines and is turning white so im 99% sure its dead and decaying, the other 2 had all of their spines though but they smelt like decaying fish, all 3 where also found pretty far away from the water so im hoping they where already dead before being taken home if not i feel bad 😓 (not that i wanted them dead i just hope we didnt kill them)
If they smelled - they were dead! It's hard to tell if you don't know what you're dealing with but that whitish one sounds like it was indeed dead and if the other 2 were stinky they were dead too. I would let them dry out 100% and use a soft toothbrush to rub off all the spines. Then I soak in 100% hydrogen and coat with 1 part water and 1 part glue.
@SWFBeachLife I'm just curious do you know of a way to preserve the spines? I think it would be cool to have one with its spines, and yes they were both stinky and the spines and legs weren't moving at all when I got them, thanks for the tips!
@SWFBeachLife probably just encase it in resine, yeah they are really delicate I can feel a bunch of them inside of the bag I'm keeping them in until we get back home, there is more and more piling up
