Image by Flickr user jimbethmag

On Wednesday afternoon, over a dozen workers scrambled to scoop up millions of rotting, stinking Mulinia shells that had washed up on Folly Beach a week earlier.

Who knew that tiny little clams could cause such a stink? To snuff out the smell, the crews buried the shells in trenches about three feet deep.

The clams are usually never a problem on Folly's shores, but a large wave of the Mulinia shells hit the beach, trapping the little critters. Biologists believe the massive die-out was most likely caused by a disease or parasite, but they'll know more later this week, after water samples and other tests are processed.

Head over to The Post and Courier for the story.