Spider or Insect?
Location: Barbados, (In the Caribbean)
March 12, 2011 5:53 am
I recently found this in my house walking VERY slowly across the floor, I covered it with a transparent container and left it for a while. As soon as the container was removed it sprinted, since i have 12” tiles i can probably say almost a foot a second.
Found another one a couple months later which got crushed under the car tyre.
Signature: Recker
Dear Recker,
Though it looks quite dangerous, this Tailless Whipscorpion is perfectly harmless (though not to Cockroaches) as it lacks venom. Tailless Whipscorpions are shy nocturnal hunters that will keep your home clear of Cockroaches and other unwanted guests. As you observed, they have the ability to scuttle quickly, often moving sideways like a crab. Tailless Whipscorpions are found in many locations worldwide, though they are most common in warm regions. Tailless Whipscorpions are neither Spiders nor insects. They are classified as Arachnids, the same Class that includes Spiders.