Currently viewing the category: "Scorpions, Whipscorpions and Vinegaroons"
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Scorpion kept in Captivity

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Subject: Larry
Location: San Diego, CA
March 20, 2013 11:57 am
Around 2am, our roommate woke my boyfriend up quite frenzied about a certain scorpion traveling across the living room floor. He didn’t understand what the big deal was and covered it with a plastic bowl and went back to sleep. The next morning we created a small habitat from my old betta tank and there he(?) is to this day, larger and seemingly quite happy, as you can see by the cricket he munching on. Can you enlighten us as to what type of scorpion it is? He has grown significantly since we first met and gave him a home :)
Signature: Adoptive Parents

Scorpion

Scorpion

Dear Adoptive Parents,
We believe your Scorpion is in the genus Vaejovis, and you can read more about them on BugGuide.  We are tagging your posting with the Bug Humanitarian Award for your kindness to the lower beasts.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Scorpion? found in Ohio?? in March????

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Subject: What is this ?
Location: Garfield Heights Ohio
March 9, 2013 11:58 pm
This is a bug found in Garfield Heights Ohio. This could be a scorpion but it is doubtful because it is in Ohio in the month of March.
Signature: Eman

Scorpion???

Scorpion???

Dear Eman,
The quality of your photo is less than ideal, but this does appear to resemble a Scorpion.  BugGuide has no reports of Scorpions north of Tennessee, so we cannot explain the location nor the timing of this sighting.  Can you please provide additional photos and details regarding the location of the sighting.  Did it occur in a pet store or other area where Scorpions might have been introduced?

Update:  We are still trying to learn more about this mystery.  We have been attempting to learn if there are any substantiated reports of scorpions in Ohio, and we discovered some information on the questionable WikiAnswers site

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Scorpion from South Africa

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Subject: Unknown Scorpion
Location: South Africa – Pretoria
November 20, 2012 2:02 am
Hi All,
I found this outside my shower and not sure what scorpion this is and how venomous is it ?
Any info would be greatly appreciated
Signature: Newbie

Scorpion

Dear Newbie,
It is our understanding that Scorpions with small pinchers and large tails are more venomous than those with large pinchers and small tails.  When it comes to Scorpions, we do not debate the toxicity of their venom.  We give all Scorpions respect because we understand that they are all capable of stinging.

Stinger of a South African Scorpion

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Vinegaroon

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Subject: For the past 3 years this has left me puzzled
Location: New Mexico
November 14, 2012 10:27 pm
Dear Bugman,
I encountered this critter in a bathroom in Rosewell New Mexico of all places several summers Ago. It was about the size of my hand from my finger tip to the heel of my palm, and was big enough to make an audible noise as it scurried over the tile floor; which sounded like a clacking noise as if its legs were finger nails. Naturally my first reaction was to scream, then run and find my camera. One of the pictures is a bit blurry but the other two are decently clear. Thanks for any help you can provide.
Signature: T

Vinegaroon

Hi T,
This magnificent Arachnid is a Vinegaroon, also known as a Grampus or Giant Whipscorpion.  Vinegaroons do not have venom, but they are capable of releasing a dilute acetic acid which smells like vinegar, hence the name Vinegaroon.

Grampus

 

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tailless Whipscorpion from South Africa

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Subject: Strange Spider with Claws
Location: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
November 8, 2012 2:30 pm
Hi,
I found this creature dead in my room in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Please could you help me identify it? Is it poisonous? I’ve seen this once previously in my garden.
Signature: Digitally

Tailless Whipscorpion

This Arachnid is known as a Tailless Whipscorpion, and though it resembles its venomous distant relatives the Scorpions and Spiders, it is not venomous itself.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tailless Whipscorpion

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Subject: What is this ??
Location: Mesa, Arizona
July 21, 2012 1:25 pm
I took this pic around 9pm recently in Mesa, AZ in my driveway. This critter was about 4” across, has six legs and two very long antennae that extend about an inch or so past it’s leg width.
At first I thought it was a vinegaroon, or whip scorpion, but after seeing those on Google, I don’t think so…
Thanx
Signature: P. Aten

Tailless Whipscorpion

Dear P. Aten,
There are two different orders of Whipscorpions.  The Vinegaroons or Whipscorpions are in the order Uropogi which you can find on BugGuide.  The members, though similar, are quite different from your specimen.  You have submitted a photograph of a Tailless Whipscorpion in the order Amblypygi, which is also represented on BugGuide.  Both orders are without venom and they are consequently harmless to people.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Vinegaroon

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Another Front Yard Rescue
July 5, 2012
Location:  Sierra Vista, AZ
Monsoon blew this little (heh!) guy onto the side of our porch.  My guess is that his tail was broken off in the storm, but I can’t say for sure.
Whip-tail scorpions are absolutely harmless to humans and pets, and only feed on other insects or arachnids.  Although many people find them scary looking (and they can get pretty darn big), they are beneficial to the environment.
This little critter was very well behaved, and was released into a space beneath my workshop.
Stefan Bowers

Giant Whipscorpion

Dear Stefan,
Thank you for sending this arachnid rescue photo, and for your kind gesture to a lower beast, we are tagging you with the Bug Humanitarian Award.  We needed to look up your name in our search engine to get a location and we see that your other submissions are from Fort Gordon, Georgia.  Is that still correct?  Please use our standard submission form in the future to ensure that you fill in all necessary fields to facilitate our posting of your submissions.  Thank you for sharing with our readership that Giant Whipscorpions or Vinegaroons are harmless since their frightening appearance terrifies many people.

Hello,
My apologies for not using the standard submission form.  After my reply, I will save the link for future reference.
I took this photo at my home in Sierra Vista, AZ.  85635.  Today (7/5/12).
Thank you very much for the Bug Humanitarian Award.  Not sure what it is, but I’m happy to be a recipient.
Stefan Bowers
Sierra Vista, AZ
P.S.- Same beauty, front shot.

Vinegaroon

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tailless Whipscorpion

On · Category: Scorpions, Whipscorpions and Vinegaroons · 1 Comment

Subject: Insect in Mexico
Location: Tulum, Mexico
June 3, 2012 11:15 am
We saw this bug at night in Tulum, Mexico. It appeared on the wall outside our cabana. It doesn’t appear to have wings but is quite horrific in my opinion. This is the best picture I could get at night without getting too close. Do you know what kind of bug this is?
Thanks!
Signature: Danielle Panchuk

Tailless Whipscorpion

Hi Danielle,
Though it is fierce looking, this Tailless Whipscorpion is actually harmless to humans as it lack venom, unlike the true scorpions and spider to which it is related.  It is possible to sustain a bite from a Tailless Whipscorpion, but only if one tries to carelessly handle it.  Tailless Whipscorpions are nocturnal hunters that feed on Cockroaches and other undesirable creatures that are found indoors in warmer climates where the Tailless Whipscorpions are found.  In Mexico, the Tailless Whipscorpion is commonly called a Cancle.  We will be postdating your letter to go live during our absence from the office later this month.

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your response. It’s good to know the bug we saw was not dangerous in any way and actually doing some good. I’ve looked at some other pictures posted on your site of Tailless Whipscorpiond and the one we saw seems quite a bit larger than those. It’s body was about 7-8 inches long.
Thanks again!
Danielle

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination