Forams are single celled organisms that secrete a calcium carbonate shell, which makes identification easy. The shell is perforated and a jelly like protoplasm extends in and around the shell; this protoplasm is used to gather food and for mobility. On Lord Howe Island, the most conspicuous is Marginopera vertebralis, which can have the form of a small white disc 6mm in diameter, found on the sandy seashore and lagoon floor. The shells can contribute calcium carbonate material to the sand of the beaches and lagoon.