Scorpion in Glendale
Location: Verdugo Woodlands, Glendale, CA
August 18, 2010 2:00 am
I found this on my daughter’s dress right before she was going to wear it in the morning (Thank God I found it!). We were staying at my parents’ house in the Verdugo Woodlands of Glendale. What type of scorpion is it? Is it harmful to kids 3 and younger? I have a 2 year old and a 7 month old. Very nervous to go back to their home and stay the night if they don’t get a pest controller to take care of the critters…if we found one in the house, would there be more? (This is the first time they have encountered scorpions after living there for 12 years).
Eva Cherrie
Stripe-Tailed Scorpion
Hi Eva,
First off, we are giving you a nonprofessional opinion based on a blurry photo. Our opinion is in no way meant to imply that a sting from what we believe to be a Stripe-Tailed Scorpion according to Charles Hogue in Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, or according to BugGuide, the California Common Scorpion, Paruroctonus silvestrii, would be perfectly harmless, but we also do not want to make you unnecessarily paranoid. According to Hogue, “The species stings readily but without doing lasting harm.” Should any of your children get stung by a Scorpion, you should probably seek professional help though there is probably no cause for great concern.
¶ Posted 18 August 2010 § ‡ ° Scorpion
July 17, 2010
Location: Carlsbad, Ca
This scorpion was at the bottom of my neighbors pool. This is the second one they have found. What type is it and is it harmful? How do I keep them out of my yard?
creeped out in Cali
Unidentified Scorpion
Dear creeped out in Cali,
We are uncertain what species of Scorpion drowned in your neighbors pool, but perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide that information since we will be posting your letter. We do not have any advice for keeping native wildlife out of your yard. According to BugGuide: “The sting of most scorpions is not serious and usually results in localized pain, some swelling, tenderness and some discoloration. Systemic reactions to scorpion stings are rare. However, the sting of one scorpion, Centruroides exilicauda, can be fatal. Most healthy adults are not at significant risk; the ones most at risk of dying from a sting by Centruroides exilicauda are children. The site of the sting does not become discolored. Another scorpion that has been known to have an intense sting is Centruroides vittatus, but no deaths are known to have been attributed to it directly. All but one of the 25 or so dangerous scorpions are in the family Buthidae. The only other dangerous species is Hemiscorpius lepturus (Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and Yemen) in the family Hemiscorpiidae, which has been shown to have an unusually toxic hemolytic venom.“ Your specimen does not look like Centruroides exilicauda in our opinion.
¶ Posted 18 July 2010 § ‡ ° Stand off
July 17, 2010
Location: Cornville, AZ
Returning from our nightly walk our pug stopped dead in his tracks a few feet from our front door and wouldn’t move. This tarantula was the reason why. Upon closer inspection, we saw why he was there. He had a scorpion cornered by the wall next to the door.
Elaine
Desert Blond Tarantula
Hi Elaine,
Thanks so much for submitting your witness account of what might have become a food chain battle that would probably have interested many of our readers. You didn’t indicate how long the stand off lasted or if there was any human intervention. We believe your Tarantula is a Desert Blond Tarantula, Aphonopelma chalcodes, which is pictured on BugGuide. We believe the Scorpion might be the Arizona Bark Scorpion, also pictured on BugGuide.
Arizona Bark Scorpion
It couldn’t have been very long – it was a short walk and they weren’t there when we went out. The area was in semi-darkness, the only light coming from inside the house – the front screen door. We turned around and went in through the garage. Unfortunately, my husband was not comfortable leaving the tarantula there so caught it in a glass and moved it back to the yard. It was only after that that I took a flashlight and inspected the area and saw the scorpion under a slight overhang against the wall by the door. Black widow spiders usually hang out there. This was the first time in our 5 years here we’ve seen a scorpion or tarantula in our yard, oddly enough, the first ‘critter’ we encountered here in the desert was a toad.
Thanks for your identification.
Whip Tail Scorpion Vinagaroon
July 13, 2010
After a particulary stormy night in El Paso, I came home feeling like a zombie after a midnight shift, stepped out of my truck and discovered the ugliest, biggest, nastiest bug I have ever seen. That woke me up. It was making it’s way towards my open garage so I bumped it with my boot to redirect it and it got into a defensive/offensive stance that spooked me pretty bad. I just had to take a picture of it. My wife said it was a vinageroon and likes to eat scorpions. She said it was harmless and I should let it stay in the front yard to kill the scorpions. She didn’t see how big this thing was! It was a full 6 inches from whip to front legs, 4 inches just the body alone. As you can see from the photo, I made it quite mad.
I’m not one to kill anything on purpose, so I scooped it up with a shovel and deposited over our back wall into the desert. If you have never seen one in person, let me tell you, that is not an insect, spider, or arachnid. It is more like a lobster!
Leon
El Paso, Texas
Vinegaroon
Dear Leon,
Thanks for writing to us about your personal account of a harrowing encounter with a harmless Vinegaroon. Your wife is a wise person. Your photo is a nice documentation of the defensive pose this formidable hunter.
¶ Posted 13 July 2010 § ‡ ° Scorpion or not?
June 24, 2010
This bug was found at our campsite in the Davis Mountain State Park near Ft Davis, Texas. Pinchers and hard body suggest scorpion but the stinger and fore legs do not match any species I have searched, the bug was very aggressive as well. What is it?
West Texas Camper
Davis Mountain State Park. Ft Davis,Tx.
Giant Vinegaroon
Hi West Texas Camper,
This is a Giant Vinegaroon, Mastigoproctus giganteus, one of the Whipscorpions which are not true scorpions. Unlike their stinging relatives, Giant Vinegaroons do not sting and have no venom. They do secrete a concentrated acetic acid that smells like vinegar, hence the common name. According to BugGuide: “The vinegaroon is nocturnal and has poor vision. The whiplike tail is used as a sensory organ, as is the first pair of legs, which is not used for walking. Although its tail in unable to sting, this creature can spray an acidic mist from a scent gland at the base of the tail when disturbed. The spray is 85% concentrated acetic acid/vinegar, hence the common name ‘Vinegaroon.’ The heavy pinching mouthparts (modified pedipalps) can also inflict a painful bite. Although very unlikely to attack humans, it can certainly defend itself if provoked.“ We have also seen the name Grampus used in literature regarding the Giant Vinegaroon.
Thank you Daniel. Your response is greatly appreciated. The Giant Vinegroon was quite a site for my 11 year old daughter, she was horrified when she saw it while roasting marshmallows around our camp fire. We did notice a vinegar smell in the air and just couldn’t place its origin. Thanks again!
¶ Posted 25 June 2010 § ‡ ° Is this the kind of scorpian that can kill people?
June 10, 2010
Hello WTB,
This morning I found that one of my sticky traps caught a scorpian. But because it is so small and the light colored one I was concerned after reading through your web site index that it may be the bad kind that can kill people. Can you please verify the speciecs, what I should do with it, and is the sting harmful to my dog and cat as well? Thank you!
Amanda in West TX
Near El Paso
Bark Scorpion Perhaps???
Dear Amanda,
We have always understood that Scorpions with small pedipalps, which Scorpions are able to use as hands, and large tails are the most dangerous. Your Scorpion fits that description. We tried to match it so the images on BugGuide, but we don’t feel comfortable beyond the genus level, and even that is dicey. Our guess is family Buthidae, genus Centruroides, the Bark Scorpions. Sadly, your photo does not show the shape of the sternum. According to BugGuide: “The family Buthidae is easily recognized by the almost triangular sternum. The sternum is located on the underside just before the pectines (combs).“ The coloration of your specimen does not seem consistent with the description on BugGuide for the Striped Bark Scorpion, Centruroides vittatus, which is indicated as: “two broad stripes down back, with orange bars on each tergite (dorsal plate); hands and fifth metasoma (tail) segment are darker, especially in young and freshly molted specimens; broad stripe on the back of the tail.“ The Striped Bark Scorpion seems the likeliest candidate to us, but we would relish the opinion of an expert in Scorpion identification.
Striped Bark Scorpion maybe???
The defensive posture in your other photo is very interesting. It seems the Scorpion has retracted its pedipalps to protect its head. We alluded earlier to Scorpions using their pedipalps as hands. The mating activity of Scorpions, which we have only read about, but never seen, is called a Pas de Deux or Dance for Two. The male and female grasp one another by the pedipalps and move around the area as though dancing until the male finds a favorable place to deposit his sperm. He then guides the female to his gift of life.
Comment
did you free the scorpion?
steiv
Please help me identify this bug..
April 5, 2010
Hello,
We have recently relocated to Atlanta, GA. Last weekend we saw a bug in our living room.. It was similar to mini scorpion.. But were are still confused.. We live in Basement apartment. On weekend the weather was very sunny around 86F. My questions are:
a) Is this really a scorpion?
If so, are they common in GA.
b) Are they poisonous? How do they come inside home..? Can they come thru air vents..? am just confused.. Pls help!!
Thanks
Atlanta,GA
Southern Unstriped Scorpion
Dear Atlanta,
This appears to be a Southern Unstriped Scorpion, Vaejovis carolinianus, the only species native to the Appalachian states. According to BugGuide it “Occasionally enters homes and is often found under rocks and other surface objects. This species is not of medical importance” which is information credited to Kari J McWest – http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/scorpiones/. All Scorpions have venom, but the sting of the Southern Unstriped Scorpion is apparently not considered a problem. Since they are tiny creatures, Scorpions may enter homes through small openings.
Southern Unstriped Scorpion
¶ Posted 08 April 2010 § ‡ ° Very fast strange spider
March 18, 2010
Hi i was in the mountains of costa rica a few mounths ago, in a village near Atenas, while there we saw a couple of these spiders. it appeared to have “pinchers” instead of fangs which you would expect on a spider, i have searched all over the internet and cannot find another picture like it can you help?
not sure what you mean here
Costa Rica, Atenas
Tailless Whipscorpion
Dear not sure,
This is a harmless Tailless Whipscorpion.
¶ Posted 18 March 2010 § ‡ ° 
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