HRAP Online Encyclopedia

Sand Dollars and Urchins

Sand dollars and sea urchins are part of the phylum Echinodermata, (meaning spiny skin), along with sea stars and sea cucumbers. True to their name, both sea urchins and sand dollars are covered in spins that they use to walk and protect themselves. They have a fragile skeleton called a test that can be found washed up in the wrack line. Sea urchins are not abundant at Haystack, but sand dollars are often found at the edges of the tide pools or out on the open beach. If a sand dollar is gray-ish purple and has a fuzzy texture, it might be still alive! Please do collect live sand dollars, and remember that Haystack Rock’s marine garden is a no collecting area for all shells and animals.

Sand Dollars

Sea Urchins