Japanese Star Sand

This “sand” is actually a collection of tiny, star-shaped exoskeletons from microscopic marine organisms called foraminifera! These amoeba-like creatures have existed for around 542 million years, and their remains are valuable to scientists as index fossils for studying Earth’s history.

This sample comes from Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, Japan, one of the few places in the world known for star sand. Grab a magnifier and take a closer look at these tiny pieces of ancient ocean life!

Container Dimensions: 1.75" × 0.25"