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Sand dollars usually eat algae and organic matter found along the ocean floor, though some species will tip on their side to catch organic matter floating in ocean currents. [ 8 ] Sand dollars frequently gather on the ocean floor, in part to their preference for soft bottom areas, which are convenient for their reproduction .
They can live at a depth of 40 to 90 meters, but usually is found in more shallow areas. Sand dollars are usually crowded together over an area half buried in the sand. As many as 625 sand dollars can live in one square yard (0.85 sq m). It is the only sand dollar found in Oregon and Washington.
Clypeasteridae is a family of sea urchins in the order Clypeasteroida.This family was first scientifically described in 1835 by the Swiss-American biologist Louis Agassiz.. The clypeasteridae also known as the sand dollar, are round and semi-flat organisms with spines lining the underside of the body and elongated genital papillae aiding its survival and reproduction.
Keyhole sand dollar refers to five living species of sand dollars in the genus Mellita, plus the extinct †Mellita aclinensis.They are found on the Atlantic coasts of the Americas, ranging across the Caribbean Islands (e.g. Bermuda, Jamaica and Puerto Rico), from the southern United States at the north, to the southeastern coast of Brazil at the south.
Fluid can be pumped through the gills' interiors by muscles associated with the lantern, but this does not provide a continuous flow, and occurs only when the animal is low in oxygen. Tube feet can also act as respiratory organs, and are the primary sites of gas exchange in heart urchins and sand dollars, both of which lack gills.
However, under certain conditions, particularly in the larval stage, sand dollars exhibit a form of asexual reproduction. When faced with predation threats, sand dollar larvae can reproduce asexually through budding or fission. This response allows the larvae to split into smaller clones, which are less detectable by predators.
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This star is opportunistic in its feeding and will eat other animals besides bivalves when available. It will eat sand dollars, snails, including Kellet's whelk, [7] barnacles, polychaete worms, and small Dungeness crabs. It feeds on carrion, including dead fish and squid. [3] [5]