[randolph]

Years ago I was beach combing South of Point Reyes near San Francisco. I was picking up sand dollars when I noticed one that looked different. I picked it up and realized it was a fossil! Here was a fossil sand dollar lying next to regular sand dollars on the beach, amazing! Apparently it had eroded out of the cliffs. It is in the Genus Scutella and is about two million years old. The modern sand dollar, actually a flat sea urchen, is related to this fossil. They are both unique in that they stand on edge to feed on plankton. Most sand dollars remain horizontal while feeding.