Sand dollars have always been a treasure among shells. Bulbous clamshells and swirling snails can be a dime a dozen, but not the smooth, understated sand dollar. Luckily, Hilton Head Island usually has a trove of sand dollars on its beaches.
Unlike most animals whose shells you find on the beach, the sand dollar is not a mollusk. Instead, it's most closely related to sea urchins and starfish. The creature doesn't live in its shell. Instead, it is the shell.
Once you learn to recognize the telltale signs of sand dollars on the beach, you'll start to discover them all over Hilton Head Island. But just know, if you look for a picture-perfect, bright white, sun-bleached sand dollar lying perfectly on the dry sand, you probably won't find any. Instead, keep your eyes open for a gray disc that blends in well with the wet sand at low tide. You can also look for a subtle two- or three-inch lump in the otherwise smooth sand where the waves wash in and out, and you might find one buried an inch or so under the sand.
When you find a sand dollar, immediately check to see if it's alive. You can tell by turning it over and looking at its cilia, or hundreds of tiny legs. Lightly brush them and look carefully to see if any are moving, even slightly. If there is any movement at all, gently place the sand dollar back in shallow water. There are plenty that have already died that you can find.
