NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - This week, beachgoers across the Grand Strand have noticed a strange addition to the shorelines.

Aquatic snails, commonly known as “sea butterflies,” have washed ashore on several local beaches.

The “butterfly” part of the creature’s name comes from two wing-like flaps it uses to move about the ocean.

The creatures look like glass shards or fiberglass and cause an itchy, prickly feeling for swimmers and beach strollers.

Some reports describe being pricked by a sea butterfly as feeling similar to a bee sting.

Many of the sea butterfly reports in the Grand Strand are coming from North Myrtle Beach, where WMBF caught up with longtime visitor Lynn Looper, who noticed a strange sensation on her first swim this past weekend.

“I started noticing an itchy feel

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