‘You may not want to go swimming with them:’ Biting sea worms swarm SC coast

SOUTH CAROLINA (WPDE) — “Nothing says spring on the coast like a frenzy of marine worms?”

Swarms of hook-jawed sea worms have been spotted along the South Carolina coast and the state Department of Natural Resources says yes, they bite.

Often used as bait, the marine worms have jaws that are strong enough to break human skin and may clamp their pincer-like jaws onto a finger or hand, according to Walla Walla University.

Sometimes called clamworms, they undergo a transformation in the spring and morph into reproductive forms called ‘epitokes’, according to SCDNR. The phenomenon occurs every year and is often followed by hungry throngs of fish and birds.