GENERAL HISTOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Sand Dollars are members of the phylum Echinodermata, and their relatives include sea cucumbers, sea stars and sea urchins among others. Characteristics of this phylum include spiny skin, tube feet for locomotion, and radial symmetry. The flower-like pattern seen on the test of sand dollars is used for gas exchange.

Detailed explanation-2: -Sand dollars are named as such not for their monetary value, but because of their appearance. The white, bleached-out sand dollar skeletons were thought to resemble old American and Spanish dollar coins, and thus the name was born.

Detailed explanation-3: -A sand dollar’s body has five jaw sections, 50 calcified skeletal elements, and 60 muscles. A sand dollar extrudes these mouthparts to scrape and chew algae from rocks and other surfaces to eat, then retracts them back into its body.

Detailed explanation-4: -Sand Dollars represent rebirth, renewal, and transformation due to their unique life cycle. In many cultures, they depict the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This species has small holes which symbolize Jesus’ wounds from being nailed to the cross.