Is it OK to take dead sand dollars?

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. These dead sand dollars have been bleached by the sun and are fine to take home and enjoy. Be careful when transporting them, they are fragile!



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If they are still moving, it is alive. Sand dollars lose their spines very soon after they die. Another way is by observing its color, which changes due to overexposure in the sun. After a sand dollar dies, its color will change from a brownish-purple (living) to silvery-white (dead).

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n Styrofoam peanuts or sawdust work well as filler for packing larger shells. n For sand dollars or other delicate, specimens buy a loaf of bread. Put each specimen in between two pieces of bread and re-pack.

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