Find your lucky sand dollars in Egypt – live and fossils

CAIRO – 16 June 2017: It is widely believed that sand dollars are a sign of good fortune with their beautiful appearance and the star-like shape naturally drawn on its center.

A sand dollar found in Ras Sudr – Nancy Ragab
This sea animal has existed for a very long time; fossils of sand dollars can be found the Great Sand Sea in Siwa, Egypt, that was once covered by the ancestor of the Mediterranean Sea millions of years ago.

A fossil of a sand dollar in Siwa – Nancy Ragab
While living, they exhibit many colors. Sand dollars feed on algae by swallowing the water and filtering it, and they usually move in groups.
Much like its popular cousin, the star fish, this amazing sea creature is found in coastal tropical areas and has been spotted in Ras Sudr on the Red sea. But you have to be lucky enough to find it.
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A gray sand dollar – Creative Commons via Wikimedia