Killed for a Dollar
by When I was a kid I admit I did it too, I didn’t know better. Now I do. I guess it is easier to kill something when it doesn’t make a sound or twist in pain.
Sand Dollars are disc shaped creatures that live on sandy ocean bottoms, unfortunately for them this is usually next to a populated sandy beach. Even worse is the fact that some people like to take home dried Sand Dollars as souvenirs, or worse, they play Frisbee with the, tossing them into the surf.
When they are alive, they are dark grey-green, as they die they fade to white. What you see is then their skeleton, which is referred to as their “test”. It have an arrangement of five openings and a star pattern and this is considered one of the attractive features of this animal. They bury themselves just below the surface of the sand and in clear waters you can easily find them by digging where you see a circular shape on the sand beneath the water.
I remember seeing a television program about a man in Eastern Canada, collecting hundreds of Sand Dollars, laying them on the beach to dry, and giving them away to tourists. He was quite popular, and the show was focused on what a neat, friendly, gesture the man was doing. The show seemed quite oblivious to the fact that the man was killing animals for no reason but to give them away to somebody who probably broke it in their suitcase anyhow. I did write the producers of the show, but never heard back. Killed for a Dollar. More to the point, he was killing Sand Dollars, for nothing at all.
Other sea animals are killed this way, starfish being one of them, even sea horses. Anything that leaves a skeleton or shell worth keeping. Tiny ones are sold in mixed bags of shells to children or used to decorate a “beach theme” table or picture frame. Very few of these died of natural causes. Many were netted while a live and set in the sun to dry/die for our viewing pleasure.
Below we have a Seashell vendor in Tanzania. Creatures are caught from the ocean and are killed so the shells can be sold to tourists. Not all of the creatures who lived within the shells are edible, as such they were only killed for one purpose, their shell. Killed for a dollar from a tourist who wants a cool souvenir.
So the next time you are at the beach and see your children digging up Sand Dollars or asking you if they can dry out the starfish they found, remind them that those are living animals, no different than their cat or dog at home. Just because it doesn’t struggle, does not mean it doesn’t suffer.
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Post Commentnutuba
On February 5, 2009 at 6:28 am
Interesting and informative, and beautifully written! Thanks for teaching me about sand dollars — I had never seen a photo of a live one before. Great article!
Darla Smith
On February 5, 2009 at 8:35 am
Very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing.
Vshak
On February 5, 2009 at 8:53 am
I cant agree more with you. People used to think these things werent alive back when science was at a primitive stage. Some peole still think its ok to kill living animals that dont seem alive. Its so primitive, we should educate others about preserving other living things
Brenda Nelson
On February 5, 2009 at 9:26 am
Its funny because the same people who get disgusted with trophy hunters hanging deer heads on their walls are the ones who want a dried out dead starfish on their desk…
banana head
On February 5, 2009 at 10:38 am
i agree w/ b nelson! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!!!!!!!!
Ruby Hawk
On February 5, 2009 at 6:05 pm
How horrible and worse, how many people who buy the shells even think about it.We really need to use our brains and not encourage the destructions of living beings.
PR Mace
On February 5, 2009 at 6:36 pm
When I was a kid I didn’t know they were alive. I taught my kids better.
Clay Hurtubise
On February 5, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Good informational piece.
Thanks,
Clay
C LEBLANC
On February 5, 2009 at 10:41 pm
THANKS. I DIDN’T KNOW THEY WERE LIVING. THIS TAUGHT ME ALOT.
Joie Schmidt
On February 6, 2009 at 2:08 am
This made me want to cry – - I didn’t realize…
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
Sotiris
On February 6, 2009 at 8:07 am
Didn’t know that there are creatures called sand dollars!
Very interesting and shame on people who do that to those creatures!
sweet g
On February 6, 2009 at 10:16 pm
I never thought of it that way. Great insight.
nobert soloria bermosa
On February 6, 2009 at 10:18 pm
wow,never heard of it before thanks much
gianne
On February 7, 2009 at 11:23 pm
I had no idea….I feel sad.
Kara Wright
On February 8, 2009 at 2:16 am
I remember when I first found out that sand dollars where alive and not rocks. I was probably 13 or 14 and I was at the beach, playing in the low tide when I felt an odd shell under my foot. I picked it up and with great excitement I realized I had a sand dollar! A brown one, too! I ran to go show my father and he told me to drop it before it ate through my hand! Needless to say this terrified me and I quickly returned it to where I found it.
Lauren Axelrod
On February 12, 2009 at 5:00 pm
It really is proof that some people will do anything for a buck. Sad to say, but it’s true.
lizzy morgan
On March 10, 2009 at 8:58 am
;-; poor creatures.
Ronnie
On June 22, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Thanks for the info on how to find these! I’m going tomorrow to dig some up for my girlfriend.
kyle
On July 11, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Wow I neaver knew that people killed animals just to get a sand dollar that is just cruel to the creature inside.
Dana
On August 29, 2009 at 1:58 am
I feel so sad about this. 2 weeks ago my boyfriend and I were excited to find 7 sand dollars during our beach vacation. We, along with seemingly hundreds of other beach guests were excitedly combing the shore as the low tide had brought these in. We could find “only” 7 while many others found so many more and claimed them for their prize. Only after doing some research on how to preserve them did I discover that the brown, furry sand dollars that we found were still alive. I really feel awful about this. In my ignorance, I had no idea that sand dollars are actual, living creatures. I wish more than anything I could release them back to the sea. If ever given the chance again, I will enjoy them in their environment and take only the happy memories with me.
Athlyn Green
On January 10, 2010 at 12:37 pm
This was an interesting read. I can remember collecting sand dollars at the West Coast. I’m so glad that the white ones I found weren’t still alive.
Thanks for bringing this information to light.
Joanna
On February 15, 2010 at 12:08 pm
This makes me so sad! Two days ago my mom found one on the beach and we took it home with us. I had no clue that it was alive! But we live 4 hours from the nearest beach, so there’s nothing I can do now except remember that next time I find a green-brown sand dollar, to put it back where I found it.
melissa
On January 1, 2011 at 8:48 am
Okay, people. Calm down or go join PETA. First of all, how can you grow to adulthood without knowing starfish are alive? Secondly, don’t lose any sleep over your dastardly deeds if you’ve taken one home. They have no brains or nerves and therefore do not feel pain. They did not die in silent agony. However, we should try to refrain from overdoing the sand dollar collecting so they continue to exist.