Lantern Sand Dollar

This flat, burrowing sea urchin is related to starfish and sea cucumbers. Found along the Victorian coastline near Melbourne, the Sand Dollar's mouth contains a complex structure of five V-shaped jaw pieces, often nicknamed "Aristotle's lantern". They can spend up to 15 minutes chewing a single mouthful before swallowing it.

And what's mind blowing is its survival tactics that include swallowing heavy rocks for ballast. Young sand dollars face a major threat of being swept away by heavy waves. To combat this, they will selectively swallow heavy grains of iron ore from the ocean floor. These heavy grains accumulate inside their bodies, acting like a diver's weight belt to anchor them firmly to the ground. 

Material: Brass or Stainless Steel, with wax-coated cord

Process: Laser cut by machine, de-nested by hand (separating the finished parts from the main sheet) and de-burred to a satin finish by hand

Measurements: W 80mm x L 80mm, depth 1.2mm 
Weight: 38g

This is one of seven pieces in the X-RAY XMAS Ocean Edition, designed and produced in Melbourne by ODD's owner, Kevin Burnett. 

When you buy this piece, $1 is donated to the Australian Marine Conservation Society.

Note: All images shown are of actual product. Because every piece is finished individually by hand, no two creatures are identical. Your creature will feature the same overall design, colours, and quality as the photos, but there may be minor variations that make it uniquely yours.