{"id":271896,"date":"2026-02-07T05:58:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T05:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/271896\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T05:58:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T05:58:08","slug":"woman-picks-up-a-pretty-shell-then-learns-it-could-have-killed-her","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/271896\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman Picks Up A ‘Pretty’ Shell \u2014 Then Learns It Could Have Killed Her"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last year, a resident of Okinawa, Japan, named Beckylee Rawls went tidepooling and spotted a beautiful snail in the water. Taken by the shell\u2019s unique shape and coloring, she picked the animal up and recorded a short video.<\/p>\n

After putting the snail down, Rawls did a reverse image search to identify the species \u2014 and was utterly horrified. Without even realizing it, by touching the shelled animal, she\u2019d put her life in danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI unknowingly picked up the most venomous creature in the ocean,\u201d Rawls said on TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It turns out that the animal Rawls had encountered was a marbled cone snail. While cone snails look harmless, they\u2019re actually highly effective predators, who use venom to catch fish, worms and mollusks.<\/p>\n

\u201cCone snails are stealthy when hunting prey and have a harpoon-like tooth called a radula that extends like a long, flexible tube and rapidly injects toxic venom,\u201d Ocean Conservancy wrote on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Getty Images \/ Tammy616<\/a><\/p>\n

There are hundreds of cone snail species, all with different levels of venom intensity. The one Rawls picked up just so happens to be one of the most deadly \u2014 and there\u2019s no antivenom that could\u2019ve helped her if she\u2019d gotten stung.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe complexity of the toxins in the venom, and the fact that the venom composition varies widely from species to species, makes the creation of antidotes difficult,\u201d Ocean Conservancy wrote.<\/p>\n

Rawls is lucky that she didn\u2019t end up getting hurt while she had the snail in her hand. A marbled cone snail sting can cause severe pain, muscle paralysis, blurry vision and even death.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea this was even a thing,\u201d Rawls said. \u201cMy story picking up a marbled cone snail could\u2019ve ended a lot differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cone snails can be found in oceans all over the world, particularly in warm places like Florida, Hawaii and Australia. Rawls hopes her story will encourage people to be extra careful when they\u2019re in these areas to not touch or disturb any cone snails. In general, it\u2019s always a good idea to be as cautious as possible when encountering unfamiliar species.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are exploring warm water beaches or tide pools, know what to look out for,\u201d Rawls said.<\/p>\n

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