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 spines that they use to walk and protect themselves. They have a fragile skeleton called a test that can be found washed up as the tide goes out. Sea urchins are not abundant at Haystack, but have been seen occasionally near the needles. Sand dollars are often found at the edges of the tide pools or out on the open beach. If a sand dollar is gray-purple in color and has a fuzzy texture, it might be alive! Please do not collect sand dollars, and remember that Haystack Rock is a marine garden which means no collecting any shells or animals.

Sand Dollars

Sea Urchins