Clypeasteroida

Sand dollars are species of flat, burrowing sea urchins belonging to the order Clypeasteroida. Some species within the order, not quite as flat, are known as sea biscuits. Sand dollars can also be called "sand cakes" or "cake urchins".

Clypeasteroida

Frédéric Ducarme · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
sand dollarPBDB
Sits inside
NeognathostomataPBDB
Diet
detritivorePBDB
Life habit
semi-infaunalPBDB
Motility
slow-movingPBDB
Vision
limitedPBDB, for Echinoidea
Environment
marinePBDB, for Echinodermata

Time the record covers

At least 89 million years on record.

The record covers at least 89.8 Mya to 11.7 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 100.5 Mya to 0 Mya.

Early Cretaceous — about 0 of 1295 occurrencesLate Cretaceous — about 68 of 1295 occurrencesLate CretaceousPaleocene — about 5 of 1295 occurrencesPaleoceneEocene — about 287 of 1295 occurrencesEoceneOligocene — about 103 of 1295 occurrencesOligoceneMiocene — about 510 of 1295 occurrencesMiocenePliocene — about 179 of 1295 occurrencesPleistocene — about 142 of 1295 occurrences103–99 Mya — about 0.0 occurrences99–96 Mya — about 0.1 occurrences96–92 Mya — about 5 occurrences92–89 Mya — about 7 occurrences89–85 Mya — about 3 occurrences85–82 Mya — about 7 occurrences82–79 Mya — about 7 occurrences79–75 Mya — about 7 occurrences75–72 Mya — about 8 occurrences72–68 Mya — about 15 occurrences68–65 Mya — about 11 occurrences65–62 Mya — about 0.4 occurrences62–58 Mya — about 2 occurrences58–55 Mya — about 5 occurrences55–51 Mya — about 5 occurrences51–48 Mya — about 7 occurrences48–44 Mya — about 30 occurrences44–41 Mya — about 30 occurrences41–38 Mya — about 111 occurrences38–34 Mya — about 94 occurrences34–31 Mya — about 36 occurrences31–27 Mya — about 31 occurrences27–24 Mya — about 34 occurrences24–21 Mya — about 74 occurrences21–17 Mya — about 112 occurrences17–14 Mya — about 116 occurrences14–10 Mya — about 87 occurrences10–6.8 Mya — about 90 occurrences6.8–3.4 Mya — about 174 occurrences3.4–0 Mya — about 189 occurrences89.8 Mya11.7 ka103 Mya0 Mya

1,295 occurrences of Clypeasteroida on record, most of them in the Miocene. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

1,295 occurrences

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. More on what this infers.

Found in

228 formations

Vaqueros — 34.04°N, 120.04°WVaqueros — 33.54°N, 117.78°WVaqueros — 33.68°N, 117.76°WVaqueros — 33.55°N, 117.82°WVaqueros — 33.77°N, 117.89°WVaqueros — 33.70°N, 117.71°WVaqueros — 33.78°N, 117.70°WVaqueros — 33.64°N, 117.59°WVaqueros — 34.33°N, 118.83°WVaqueros — 34.38°N, 118.95°WVaqueros — 34.30°N, 117.49°WVaqueros — 34.33°N, 119.03°WVaqueros — 34.07°N, 118.71°WVaqueros — 34.37°N, 118.82°WVaqueros — 34.32°N, 119.08°WVaqueros — 34.35°N, 118.92°WVaqueros — 34.45°N, 118.92°WVaqueros — 34.57°N, 119.05°WVaqueros — 34.37°N, 119.33°WVaqueros — 34.44°N, 119.20°WVaqueros — 34.52°N, 120.43°WVaqueros — 34.57°N, 120.29°WVaqueros — 34.58°N, 120.16°WVaqueros — 34.92°N, 119.13°WVaqueros — 34.98°N, 120.21°WVaqueros — 35.31°N, 120.04°WVaqueros — 35.25°N, 120.06°WVaqueros — 35.81°N, 121.05°WVaqueros — 35.84°N, 121.05°WVaqueros — 35.77°N, 120.93°WVaqueros — 36.07°N, 121.28°WVaqueros — 36.18°N, 121.31°WTortonian Limestone — 35.00°N, 24.76°ECastle Hayne — 34.64°N, 77.65°WCastle Hayne — 34.37°N, 77.86°WCastle Hayne — 34.97°N, 78.05°WCastle Hayne — 34.44°N, 77.83°WCastle Hayne — 34.75°N, 77.43°WCastle Hayne — 34.87°N, 78.05°WCastle Hayne — 34.66°N, 77.73°WCastle Hayne — 34.80°N, 78.02°WCastle Hayne — 35.01°N, 77.57°WCastle Hayne — 35.29°N, 77.29°WCastle Hayne — 34.92°N, 77.43°WCastle Hayne — 35.25°N, 77.44°WCastle Hayne — 35.01°N, 77.51°WCastle Hayne — 34.23°N, 77.94°WCastle Hayne — 35.24°N, 77.20°WTemblor — 35.95°N, 120.25°WTemblor — 35.95°N, 120.22°WTemblor — 36.34°N, 120.36°WTemblor — 36.00°N, 120.51°WTemblor — 35.88°N, 120.10°WTemblor — 36.07°N, 120.21°WTemblor — 35.30°N, 118.50°WTemblor — 36.42°N, 120.43°WMoodys Branch — 31.88°N, 88.32°WMoodys Branch — 31.77°N, 88.33°WMoodys Branch — 31.50°N, 87.80°WMoodys Branch — 31.71°N, 87.78°WMoodys Branch — 31.26°N, 86.77°WMoodys Branch — 31.31°N, 86.48°WMoodys Branch — 31.03°N, 85.86°WMoodys Branch — 31.03°N, 85.85°WMoodys Branch — 30.71°N, 84.86°WMoodys Branch — 31.55°N, 87.58°WMoodys Branch — 31.14°N, 87.94°WMoodys Branch — 32.70°N, 83.56°WMoodys Branch — 31.88°N, 88.68°WMoodys Branch — 32.33°N, 90.15°WMoodys Branch — 31.10°N, 86.09°WMoodys Branch — 31.57°N, 88.04°WMoodys Branch — 31.54°N, 87.52°WMoodys Branch — 31.21°N, 86.13°WCrystal River Limestone — 31.31°N, 86.48°WCrystal River Limestone — 31.25°N, 86.77°WCrystal River Limestone — 30.12°N, 83.58°WCrystal River Limestone — 30.77°N, 85.23°WCrystal River Limestone — 30.05°N, 83.18°WCrystal River Limestone — 29.25°N, 82.17°WCrystal River Limestone — 29.67°N, 83.39°WCrystal River Limestone — 28.93°N, 82.70°WCrystal River Limestone — 28.90°N, 82.59°WCrystal River Limestone — 29.19°N, 82.14°WCareaga Sandstone — 34.74°N, 120.41°WCareaga Sandstone — 34.88°N, 120.51°WSimsima — 24.87°N, 55.95°ESantee Limestone — 33.45°N, 80.16°WSantee Limestone — 33.51°N, 80.49°WSantee Limestone — 33.33°N, 80.15°WSantee Limestone — 33.41°N, 80.10°WSantee Limestone — 33.33°N, 79.69°WSantee Limestone — 33.25°N, 80.45°WSantee Limestone — 33.18°N, 79.95°WSantee Limestone — 33.41°N, 80.30°WSantee Limestone — 33.35°N, 80.25°WEtchegoin — 35.90°N, 120.00°WEtchegoin — 36.02°N, 120.04°WEtchegoin — 36.02°N, 120.27°WEtchegoin — 36.00°N, 120.13°WEtchegoin — 36.10°N, 120.32°WEtchegoin — 36.18°N, 120.29°WEtchegoin — 34.84°N, 120.41°WEtchegoin — 36.25°N, 120.31°WEtchegoin — 36.12°N, 120.41°WEtchegoin — 36.09°N, 120.50°WEtchegoin — 36.20°N, 120.67°WPancho Rico — 35.90°N, 120.84°WPancho Rico — 36.21°N, 121.02°WPancho Rico — 36.13°N, 121.02°WPancho Rico — 36.03°N, 120.80°WPancho Rico — 36.03°N, 120.89°WPancho Rico — 35.97°N, 120.73°WPancho Rico — 36.13°N, 120.73°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.60°N, 117.80°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.99°N, 118.45°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.60°N, 117.88°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.71°N, 118.27°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.80°N, 118.17°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.66°N, 117.94°WPalos Verdes Sand — 33.80°N, 118.28°WImperial — 32.83°N, 116.04°WImperial — 33.41°N, 116.06°WImperial — 32.79°N, 116.05°WImperial — 32.86°N, 116.04°WJacalitos — 35.95°N, 120.21°WJacalitos — 36.09°N, 120.50°WJacalitos — 36.04°N, 120.39°WJacalitos — 36.07°N, 120.45°WJacalitos — 35.94°N, 120.15°WSanta Margarita — 34.38°N, 118.95°WSanta Margarita — 37.12°N, 122.01°WSanta Margarita — 35.39°N, 120.61°WSanta Margarita — 36.27°N, 120.36°WSanta Margarita — 36.36°N, 120.45°WSanta Margarita — 35.49°N, 120.42°WAnacacho Limestone — 29.37°N, 99.28°WAnacacho Limestone — 29.44°N, 98.86°WAnacacho Limestone — 29.19°N, 100.30°WAnacacho Limestone — 29.18°N, 100.03°WAnacacho Limestone — 29.20°N, 100.14°WAnacacho Limestone — 29.38°N, 99.47°WAnacacho Limestone — 29.32°N, 99.48°WAnacacho Limestone — 29.25°N, 99.91°WInglis Limestone — 28.92°N, 82.61°WInglis Limestone — 29.23°N, 82.70°WInglis Limestone — 29.02°N, 82.62°WInglis Limestone — 29.03°N, 82.67°WPirabas — 1.18°S, 47.22°WPirabas — 0.48°S, 48.17°WPirabas — 1.05°S, 47.16°WPirabas — 0.60°S, 47.31°WCaloosahatchee — 26.52°N, 82.03°WCaloosahatchee — 25.95°N, 81.36°WCaloosahatchee — 25.91°N, 81.36°WCaloosahatchee — 26.93°N, 82.05°WCaloosahatchee — 26.80°N, 80.36°WCaloosahatchee — 26.74°N, 81.51°WCaloosahatchee — 25.91°N, 81.28°WCaloosahatchee — 26.99°N, 80.61°WWaccamaw — 34.21°N, 81.31°WWaccamaw — 32.98°N, 79.89°WWaccamaw — 32.91°N, 79.95°WWaccamaw — 33.84°N, 78.68°WWaccamaw — 35.42°N, 77.44°WWaccamaw — 34.32°N, 78.52°WWaccamaw — 34.35°N, 78.18°WLisbon — 31.20°N, 86.17°WLisbon — 31.30°N, 86.48°WLisbon — 31.32°N, 86.73°WLisbon — 31.37°N, 84.93°WLisbon — 31.56°N, 87.52°WLisbon — 31.33°N, 85.14°WPico — 34.35°N, 118.49°WPico — 34.36°N, 118.56°WYazoo Clay — 31.50°N, 87.80°WYazoo Clay — 31.65°N, 87.71°WYazoo Clay — 31.26°N, 86.77°WSuwannee Limestone — 29.33°N, 83.14°WSuwannee Limestone — 28.90°N, 82.59°WSuwannee Limestone — 31.57°N, 83.85°WSuwannee Limestone — 30.05°N, 83.17°WSuwannee Limestone — 30.61°N, 83.67°W

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Clypeasteroida has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. 204 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 285 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Clypeasteroida and its relatives

Miocene

Where Clypeasteroida and its relatives were recorded in the Miocene.

Found in the same rock

2,084 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records 837 sites for Clypeasteroida, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

266 references

Each of the 1,295 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. 254 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Clypeasteroida

Credit
Frédéric Ducarme
Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

3D model

Source
Sketchfab
Credit
moroplogo
Licence
CC Attribution
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record

Smithsonian Open Access was not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itNeognathostomata through timeFormations of the MioceneThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. Agassiz 1836