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Hoshizuna no Hama is a small beach located on the northern tip of the remote island of Irimote in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Situated on Irimote, the second largest island in Okinawa Prefecture, Hoshizuna-no-Hama appears ordinary, like hundreds of other beaches across the Land of the Rising Sun, at least at first glance. However, if you have the chance to stroll along the beach and observe more closely, you will discover something unusual: many grains of sand are shaped like 5-6 pointed stars.
According to IFLScience, these small stars are actually the remnants of a species called Baclogypsina sphaerulata, first described in 1860.
The name of the beach, Hoshizuna-no-Hama, when translated, also means "Star-shaped sand."
Baclogypsina sphaerulata is a member of a group of ancient protozoa (single-celled organisms that are widely distributed and consume organic matter) called Foraminifera. This group is thought to have existed since the early Cambrian period, about 540 million years ago.
When Baclogypsina sphaerulata drift on the sea, they collect calcium carbonate to form shells of various shapes, from round spots to complex spirals and even star shapes. When Baclogypsina sphaerulata die, their shells usually settle on the seabed, some washing ashore on the beaches of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
Thanks to this unique feature, the beach, though small, is a popular and attractive tourist destination in the Land of the Rising Sun.
To this day, while scientists consider the star-shaped sand to be merely the exoskeletons of billions of single-celled organisms, the local people still believe in their own legend. They claim these tiny stars are the offspring of the Southern Cross and the North Star. They were born off the coast of Okinawa, but were soon killed by a giant serpent. And their tiny skeletons are the only remnants of these baby stars.
These stars aren't ordinary sand, but rather the microscopic skeletons of the species Baculogypsina Sphaerulata.
They are among the oldest known fossils, with star-shaped calcium shells, washed ashore by ocean currents.
These star-shaped grains of sand are so small, only a few millimeters, that they are initially difficult to find. But when they stick to a visitor's fingers or toes, you'll notice they have a distinct shape compared to other grains of sand. Before the pandemic, many tourists flocked to this beach to "hunt" for star-shaped sand. This led to the local authorities banning people from taking these collectibles home.
These stars are very small, only a few millimeters in size, so at first, finding them was very difficult.
Regardless of the story, the star-shaped sand attracted a lot of attention, and people sought to take it home as a souvenir. The Japanese government subsequently had to issue a ban on taking this type of sand off their beaches.
Scientifically, star-shaped sand leaves behind a very useful legacy. Scientists can use them to learn about the Earth from millions of years ago, finding clues about the age of rocks and ancient climates.
