A warning has been issued over a potentially dangerous shrimp species found in US waters. Lurking just off the shores of South Carolina’s coast, the crustacean has a unique set of “thumb splitters” that can slice human fingers to the bone.

Called mantis shrimp, the flattened, inshore creature can be eaten – but they don’t have much meat and it’s not considered good quality, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). As stomatopods, the creatures aren’t even technically shrimp. Instead, they are distant relatives of crabs, lobsters, and shrimp.

They get their name because they appear like a mix between a praying mantis and a shrimp. With over 450 species of mantis shrimp worldwide, they are a common sight seen in a variety of different colors and can grow anywhere from 12 to 15 inches in length.

It’s the species’ claw that fishermen need to watch out for. The Washington Post wrote: “The title of fastest punch in the animal kingdom firmly belongs to the peacock mantis shrimp, whose club-like appendages reach the speed of a .22-caliber slug, shatter clamshells with ease, and can slice human fingers to the bone.”

Mantis shrimp use two types of hunting to gather their food – spearing or smashing, according to earthsky.com. Smashing mantis shrimp have calcified forelimbs that they use to deliver a powerful strike, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation states.

Using sharp forelimbs, spearing mantis shrimp pierce predators and prey. Lamar University’s department of biology says the mantis shrimp is able to use high speeds to attack. Their experts say: “They have a unique set of “thumb splitters” or small appendages that they use to break or crack open shells of other crustaceans to retrieve food and nutrients. “They are the fastest known organism due to their quick jabbing appendages that can reach up to 170 mph.”