Hi…

Heres a few pics of my many legged friends from iraq….your site rocks…thanks
Jesse Lopez

scorpion	Wood Boring Beetle

Hi Jesse,
Thanks for sending us photos of the creatures you are handling in Iraq. It is nice to see you don’t believe the vicious rumors regarding the Camel Spider or Solpugid. We don’t know much about the Scorpion you are holding, but scorpions are venomous. Only a few species have potentially lethal venom and most are like being stung by a wasp or bee. The large beetle is a Metallic Wood Borer in the family Buprestidae. Stay safe.

Crutsy ID
This speciman showed up in my car in Nayarit Mexico. I found it after I was on the beach in San Blas. None of the locals had a clue what it was. Please feel free to contact me for further info. Thanks for hosting your site.
Steve Pratt

Hi Steve,
Tailless Whipscorpions are shy, harmless, nocturnal predators. Thanks for sending in this unusual angle for our archives.

found this tryin to get mexician hotel room near itza temple one nite
it was over 6 inch across ,, bigger than my uk size 9 feet ,,, well what can i say about the experiance ,, apart from scary ,,found its way into the drunken pairs room ,, so we chased it about with a palmcorder ,, till it scared me by jumping at the cam ,, the it was trapped in a massive jug ,, then throw back to the jungle,, dirty lil squatters ,,,, but on a different note ,, any idea what it is ,, ?? hope you can help me ps ,,. it says spider in pic name ,, but i differ now as it only got 6 legs ,, unless those massive jaws count
Bill

Hi Bill,
Fear not. The Tailless Whipscorpion is harmless. They are nocturnal predators that probably help rid the hotel of cockroaches.

HI FROM PARADISE !!
HELLO THERE— MY NAME IS JUAN CARLOS, I LIVE IN PUERTO VALLARTA JAL, MEXICO I JUST LOVE YOUR PAGE (AND OFF COURSE INSECTS) I AM SENDING YOU SOME PICTURES OFF A TAILLESS WHIPSCORPION THAT IS MY HAND THANKS (AS YOU CAN SEE MY LANGUAGE IS SPANISH)
Juan Carlos Lemus

Hi Juan Carlos,
We got another letter once that reported the Spanish name for a Tailless Whipscorpion is a Cancle. Thanks for the verification. Your photo is great and will surely creep out some of our readers. We can’t imagine that your tourist bureau advertises with photos of the Tailless Whipscorpion, but we are sure eager to visit your paradise.

caribbean spider
Hi!
I love your site–I use it to identify caterpillars all the time. My boyfriend and his brother found this spider in a tunnel in some ruins of an old sugar plantation on St. Kitts W.I. With legs, it was roughly 4 or 5 inches in diameter (and it had plenty of company!) It looks kind of like a giant crab spider to me, but the "pincers" in ours are quite thick and armored and have spikes on them. Can you help? Thanks!
Fawn

Hi Fawn,
This is not a spider, but a Tailless Whipscorpion, a shy and harmless creature unless you are a small edible critter like a cricket.

Here’s an odd one
I found this critter on a stucco wall in the vicinity of Piestewa Peak in Phoenix, Arizona. I am quite sure it’s an insect, as the very long appendages appear on close inspection to be antennae. The size of the body is about 3⁄4” long. The antennae are about 3 inches long! The body is very flat, and the shape of the head is just bizarre. In my 56 years living in the Phoenix area I have never seen anything remotely like this creature. Thank you,
Rook Younger
Phoenix, Arizona

Hi Rook
This is not an insect, but an Arachnid. It is a harmless Tailless Whipscorpion. They are not uncommon in humid tropics (though they are also found in arid Arizona), but as they are shy nocturnal hunters, they often go unnoticed.