SEASIDE, Ore. — Live sand dollars began washing ashore Sunday on the Oregon Coast, mystifying locals.
The Seaside Aquarium posted photos of the sand dollars to Facebook on Sunday, reporting that thousands washed up with the afternoon high tides on the south end of Seaside Beach, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
“We do not know what has caused this, and these types of incidents usually have several contributing factors,” the aquarium wrote on Facebook.
The post received hundreds of comments, many from concerned people who urged locals to rush out and throw the creatures back into the water. However, sand dollars can live only a few minutes out of the ocean, the aquarium said.
Sand dollars are a species of sea urchin covered in tube feet and spines.
