The folks at Big Bend alerted visitors this week that all the summer rain has brought out these scorpions from their burrows “in search of food and love,” CNN reported.
Have you seen one of these guys?
These “Whip Scorpions,” also known as the vinegaroon are invading some of the parks and campgrounds in southwest Texas, park officials said.
These nocturnal creatures that are about three inches in length have a thin "whip" tail; long, thin front legs; and heavy mouthparts that serve as pincers, according to Big Bend National Park.
The folks at Big Bend alerted visitors this week that all the summer rain has brought out these scorpions from their burrows “in search of food and love,” CNN reported.
These funny-looking creatures normally like to hunt millipedes, scorpions, crickets, cockroaches, and other invertebrates. Some of the female vinegaroons may even be carrying hatching on their back.
Park officials said they are pretty “benign,” unless you annoy them, of course.
A vinegaroon can pinch their heavy mouthparts, called pedipalps, and shoot a “well-aimed” spray of 85% acetic acid, a main component of vinegar, from the base of their whip to protect themselves, according to the park’s Facebook post.
The park said they are most commonly seen in the desert
But, if you happen to stumble upon one and do get sprayed, the good news is that they aren’t poisonous.
