Common Name: Sand Dollar
Scientific Name: Dendraster excentricus
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family: Animalia, Echinodermata, Echinoidea, Clypeasteroidea, Dendrasteridae
Diet: Omnivorous, algae, small invertebrates
Habitat: Fine sand bottoms, bays, lagoons, inlets, tidal channels; running parallel to shore
Range: Pacific Coast from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico
Identification: Flat body, purple color, with small spines, petal-like design on top
Reproduction: Broadcast spawning (discharge fertile sperm and eggs into water), breeding season in summer
Behavior: Burrow anterior half in sand to assist in feeding
Predators: Fish and invertebrates
Citations:Johnson and Snook, 1927.Allman, S. and S. Rubio 2013.