Tag Archives: seashell collecting on okinawa

I found a #MTS4N seashell on Okinawa. What should I do?

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So far, I have placed over six hundred marked turbo seashells in the coastal forest for hermit crabs in need. The shells are marked and numbered with the hashtag #mts4n ( Make The Switch For Nature ). Hopefully, labeling the surface of the seashells will prevent poachers, beachcombers, and fishers from taking them.

Hermit crabs are a national living monument species of Japan. It is against the law to collect them. Take photos only!

What to do if you find a #MTS4N or #MILLER shell

  • Take a photograph of the Hermit crab in its natural habitat
  • Enjoy the moment and do not harass it
  • Share on social media and tag #mts4n
  • Document your observation on iNaturalist
  • These occupied shells are not collectibles, do not take them
Mts4n hermit crab okinawa

What to do if you find a hermit crab adapting with plastic

  • Take a photograph of the hermit crab in its original habitat
  • Leave the hermit crab alone and do not harass it
  • Send me a DM with the exact beach location
  • I will place empty shells in the coastal forest for the hermit crabs
Hermit crabs living in our trash
Hermit crabs and our waste

How often have you picked up an empty shell and brought it home? I am guilty. Most people don’t realize that they are taking the potential home of a hermit crab. If you are a shell collector, please return all unwanted shells to the coastline. #taketrashnothomes

It’s crucial to protect these beautiful creatures for future generations. Hermit crabs play an essential role in the coastal ecosystem. Hermit crabs do not belong in cages; please leave them in their natural habitat.

Miller Hermit crab Okinawa


Help me make a difference by supporting The #MST4N Hermit Crab Conservation Project. Please check out my Patreon page, MakeTheSwitch4Nature. I will collect a bucket full of marine debris for every supporting member. Our waste is a massive problem on our beautiful shorelines.

Do you have any seashells collecting dust at home? If so, consider giving them back to nature. #taktrashnothomes

  • The Mission of the #MTS4N conservation project is to spread joy, inspire change, and save lives.

Click on the donation link below to help fund Shawn’s conservation projects.

Interview On the Kelly Clarkson Show
Making the switch 4 nature
Featured On AFN Okinawa


Hermit Crabs Living In Glass Bottles By Shawn Miller

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Trash, treasure and the beautiful beaches of Okinawa.

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is to go beach walking.  Over the years, I have seen a significant increase in the amount of marine debris washed ashore.  The trash is from all over the world, but majority of it washes up from Korea, China and Japan

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Maeda flats

This post is not to make people sad, guilty or lose hope, It is to bring awareness to the ongoing trash problem in our oceans and on our shorelines.

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Iheya beach

Majority of the glass bottles that wash ashore will eventually break. The resourceful blueberry hermit crabs take full advantage of any broken bottles and twist top caps. They  eventually move into this valuable real estate and use it as a protective mobile home until they find a better option.

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Marine debris

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Broken glass Iheya Island

Hermit Crabs prefer to live in a natural seashell. The most durable home on Okinawa is the silver mouth turban shell.

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Hermit crabs feeding

Due to a decline in the number of seashells, the hermit crabs have to adapt with our trash to survive. Below are photographs of hermit crabs found naturally adapting with metal twist caps and broken glass bottles.

Energy drink home- Trash homes

Energy drink home

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Energy drink home

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Glass top Crab

Hermit crabs - real-estate

Hermit crabs – real-estate

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Metal cap

Hermit crab in a glass bottle

Hermit crab in a glass

The hermit crab is one of the few animals that can successfully adapt with our waste. If you would like to learn more about hermit crabs adapting with our waste please check out my post on “Crabs With Beach Trash Homes” by Shawn M Miller.

Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bringing solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines.  Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Seashells of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

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The beautiful seashells of the Ryukyu Islands.

It all started in 1989,  I went to a friend’s house and saw some beautiful seashells displayed on a counter-top.  My first thought was that they were fake or man-made. The intricate design of the Venus Comb Murex shell caught my eye.  I was fascinated by the design and wanted to learn more about the animal that produced this beautiful shell.

Murex spicatus -Venus comb murex

Murex spicatus -Venus comb murex© Shawn Miller

I continued to collect,  photograph and read more about marine mollusks from the Ryukyu Islands. I eventually started contributing my collection samples to worldwide museums, scientists, specialists and images for various scientific publications. I currently do not collect shells anymore but enjoy photographing the marine snails in their natural habitat.

General rules to shell collecting

  • Be respectful of the environment.
  • Only collect dead specimens
  • Avoid over collecting sea-shells
  • If you turn over rocks, place them back in the original position
  • Return all unwanted shells back to the coastline

Below are some of my favorite shells found on Okinawa.

Semipallium dianae - scallop

Semipallium dianae © Shawn Miller

Neocancilla takiisaoi

Neocancilla takiisaoi © Shawn Miller

Cardium victor - Heart shell

Cardium victor – Heart shell © Shawn Miller

Lambis scorpius - scorpion conch

Lambis scorpius – scorpion conch © Shawn Miller

Morum ponderosum

Morum ponderosum © Shawn Miller

Annachlamys reevei

Annachlamys reevei © Shawn Miller

Chicoreus ryukyuensis

Chicoreus ryukyuensis © Shawn Miller

Cypraea (Blasicrura) luchuana (Kuroda,1960) Okinawa

Cypraea (Blasicrura) luchuana  © Shawn Miller

Gloripallium speciosum

Gloripallium speciosum – sunray scallop © Shawn Miller

Avoid handling the venomous cone shells.  They are often found reef walking during low tide.

Venomous cones shells of Okinawa

Venomous cones shells of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

The trident trumpet is sought after for its beauty. This marine snail is one of the few natural predators of the crown of thorn starfish. This large snail also feeds on a variety of starfish as well.

Trident trumpet © Shawn Miller

Trident trumpet © Shawn Miller

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki, 2009) – Named for the collector of the type specimens, Shawn Miller of Nagahama, Okinawa, for his continued support in malacological research by providing marine sediment samples of Okinawa.

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki , 2009)

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki , 2009)

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri.  A new species named after naturalist and underwater photographer Shawn Miller. Described by Shawn Wiedrick.

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020). A new species from Okinawa named after naturalist and underwater photographer Shawn Miller

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020)

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020)

This Giant helmet shell (Cassis cornuta) conformed around the rubber gasket (Marine debris).  An interesting photograph, but our trash is becoming a serious problem.

Helmet shell and rubber gasket

Helmet shell and rubber gasket © Shawn Miller

My daughter and I found this mutated strawberry conch shell in 2018. This is the first four-eyed conch shell I have seen. They naturally have two eyes, not four.

Strawberry conch

Mutated four-eyed conch © Shawn Miller

 My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link  paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines.  Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Know your nature with Shawn Miller. Have a great day!