Something lurking in seashells may give Outer Banks beachgoers a scare, park warns

Everything from World War II explosives to dead whales wash up on the Outer Banks, but the National Park Service warns seemingly safe seashells can pose a risk, too.

Collectors typically assume they’re empty, but Cape Lookout National Seashore shared video on Facebook showing that’s not always the case.

In the brief clip, a disconcerting pair of claws is seen retreating into a very collectible knobbed whelk shell.

“Whenever you find a snail shell on the beach, be sure to check for living occupants inside,” the park wrote Feb. 22 .

“If it appears empty, be sure to look carefully in the opening for legs. ... More than one beachcomber has been startled by the crab coming out unexpectedly.”

The shell had been taken over by a striped-leg hermit crab, a species of crustacean that is not a threat to humans.

However, they can offer a good scare by popping out from seashells at inopportune moments. They are experts at cramming themselves deep inside, “and are not always evident,” the park said.

If one is found in a shell at the park, it’s the crab that has property rights.

“Return any shells with living creatures inside back to the water,” park officials says.

The Outer Banks is considered a prime spot for shell collectors due to frequent hurricanes that stir the sand, along with colliding north and southbound currents just offshore.

Cape Lookout National Seashore and Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials have reported finding oddities such as seashells from the Pacific Ocean and prehistoric clam shells that weigh as much as 2 pounds.

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