Hey Steemmates! :)
I am here with yet another post dedicated to my favorite topic - wildlife. This time around, I would like to tell you something about a very unique creature, a sea urchin known as the sand dollar. I have encountered this bizarre animal only twice so far - on some beaches in Florida (a couple of years ago) and on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica (last year).
I have a habit of googling as much information as I can about animals I encounter on my travels so here is what I learnt about this curious creature:
The name "sand dollar" is derived from the fact that once the animal dies, its skeleton gets washed ashore where it usually gets buried in sand.
The rigid skeleton of the sand dollar is known as "test".
The sand dollar is closely related to the star fish and the sea cucumber.
To prevent being washed around by rough water, young sand dollars often "eat" sand to be heavier.
The sand dollar is a social animal. They crowd together to form groups of up to several hundreds of individuals.
The photo featured above (taken on Playa Negra beach in Costa Rica) was taken with my smartphone so it is also my entry for today´s #smartphonephotography contest organized by @juliank and @photocontests.
Thank you for visiting my blog and voting for me in the contest :) Have a great weekend and see you in my next post!
Řekl jsem si, že opět přidám i český tag, protože jak jsem k mému příjemnému překvapení zjistil, máme tu vícero fanoušků zvířátek, tak třeba to někoho zaujme :) Předpokládám, že těch pár anglických vět jste si zvládli přelouskat, ale pro pořádek doplním, že se jedná o zvláštní druh mořského ježka, který žije v mělkých vodách některých tropických moří. Na fotce je jeho spodní strana - těmi drobnými vlákny přijímá postravu :) Snímek je z Kostariky z loňského září.
Great post. Thanks for the info!
amazing picture @phortun
if you can visit to my post
@originalworks
The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @phortun to be original material and upvoted it!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
We see them a lot, washed up here on Cape Cod. Sadly, tourists like to take them home and leave them out to dry as souvenirs. :(
What?? Really? I know people pick the skeletons (which I am not a fan of either) but taking out live animals and leaving them to dry?? Thats just sick :(
They are not as red here, when I see them alive. Perhaps they are just letting them sit to air out, but I have seen them alive on our beaches and they are a pale grey color when alive, so it is hard to say for sure. It is sad and sick and I blame it on ignorance (perhaps they don't realize they are still living?).
Yeah, maybe... I wish more people were conscious of the consquences like you. Thank you for being eco-friendly :)
Jojo, starej parťák z mokrý čtvrti. To ještě byla Costa Rica opravdu rica a já mě taky takový číro:
:))
:DD
hele, můj mořský kolega ;-)
No nedávno jsem si část tvého mořského kolegy zabodl do ruky a nic moc to nebylo, co si budem povídat :D
my ježci všeho druhu jsme hold pichlaví ;-)
Hello , I Invite you to participate in contest if you are interested !
Thanks, will check that out :)
World of Photography Beta V1.0
>Learn more here<
Thank you for participating in #smartphonephotography, the weekly selection will be released on Sunday.
You have earned 6.10 XP for sharing your photo!
Daily photos: 1/2
Daily comments: 2/5
Multiplier: 1.22
Server time: 22:53:56
Total XP: 341.72/400.00
Total Photos: 28
Total comments: 95
Total contest wins: 2
Follow: @photocontests
Join the Discord channel: click!
Play and win SBD: @fairlotto
Developed and sponsored by: @juliank
Hello , I invite you you to Participate in Your Story Contest
So interesting @phortun ! , I've seen those animals in my country too, but nothing like those colors. Good luck at the contest!, i'm also participating . I save some beach-related photos on my profile if you want to check them out :) . Btw, ther is another contest, sponsored by @jamtaylor this week, and it's about animal pictures , you should go and see the rules maybe this picture is a winner :) . Yo have my upvote and Follow ! steem on!
Thanks for the info and your support :) Will check your photos too ;)