Karwar: A few coin-like aquatic species dubbed “sand dollar”, usually found in the deep sea, were found washed up on the seashores here recently.

According to Oceana.org, sand dollars are a type of invertebrate related to the sea urchins, sea stars, and sea cucumbers – together known as the echinoderms. Anatomically, a sand dollar is much like a flattened sea urchin with smaller, hair-like spines.

Sand dollars, also known as sand cakes, sea cookie, snapper biscuit or pansy shell, belong to the order Clypeasteroida and are round like a coin and have a star design on one side of the body.

Dr Shivakumar Haragi of the Department of Marine Biology, Karnataka University said, “This is the first time that the sand dollars have appeared on the seashores of Karwar. In the year 2006, they were spotted in Mangaluru and Bhatkal. These are usually seen in abundance in the coastal regions of South Africa, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, and other countries. The fishermen of the Karwar region were able to catch this species due to the changing climatic conditions.”