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Description
This little darling is a frequent visitor to homes in the American Southwest, and is known as a Striped Bark Scorpion.

No, it doesn't sound like a Doberman Pinscher or American Pit Bull Terrier ... although when stung the sensation can easily be thought of in similar ways. The "bark" in its name refers to tree bark, although I tend to see them around and under large rocks, because they prefer warmth and a nice hiding place.

That rather intimidating pointy bit at the end of its tail is where the venom comes from, and is incredibly sharp, akin to a hornet's stinger. It's so thin and narrow at the tip it can pierce some clothing, although leather and thick denim afford a modicum of protection.

The pincers at the opposite end are used to grab and hold their prey, and they're surprising strong for their size. Their favorite meals are typically soft-bodied insects, lizards, and anything small enough to capture without causing irreparable injury to the naughty little stinging lovely. They consume their food much as a spider does with mouth parts that crush and soften their meal to be more easily digested.

I've captured enough of these to start a venom collection facility, but unfortunately it takes more than a small metal can and a glass pipette to go into business, be recognized as a medical products provider, and certified for research or human use.

There have been at least a dozen captive scorpions in my collection over the years who were pregnant with babies and gave birth inside the enclosure. It's amazing to see anywhere from ten to thirty little plump babies, each no more than a millimeter long, clinging to its mother's back and a perfect replica of Mommy. For the record the babies can sting, and their venom is equally as potent if not more so than the larger version, although because of their relative size the young ones don't produce large quantities of the venomous liquid.

The image was slightly retouched, threshold, brightness, and contrast, due to the background it was sitting upon, so some of the edge features might appear distorted. This one is about 45 mm long from claws to curled tip of its tail.

Description
This little darling is a frequent visitor to homes in the American Southwest, and is known as a Striped Bark Scorpion.

No, it doesn't sound like a Doberman Pinscher or American Pit Bull Terrier ... although when stung the sensation can easily be thought of in similar ways. The "bark" in its name refers to tree bark, although I tend to see them around and under large rocks, because they prefer warmth and a nice hiding place.

That rather intimidating pointy bit at the end of its tail is where the venom comes from, and is incredibly sharp, akin to a hornet's stinger. It's so thin and narrow at the tip it can pierce some clothing, although leather and thick denim afford a modicum of protection.

The pincers at the opposite end are used to grab and hold their prey, and they're surprising strong for their size. Their favorite meals are typically soft-bodied insects, lizards, and anything small enough to capture without causing irreparable injury to the naughty little stinging lovely. They consume their food much as a spider does with mouth parts that crush and soften their meal to be more easily digested.

I've captured enough of these to start a venom collection facility, but unfortunately it takes more than a small metal can and a glass pipette to go into business, be recognized as a medical products provider, and certified for research or human use.

There have been at least a dozen captive scorpions in my collection over the years who were pregnant with babies and gave birth inside the enclosure. It's amazing to see anywhere from ten to thirty little plump babies, each no more than a millimeter long, clinging to its mother's back and a perfect replica of Mommy. For the record the babies can sting, and their venom is equally as potent if not more so than the larger version, although because of their relative size the young ones don't produce large quantities of the venomous liquid.

The image was slightly retouched, threshold, brightness, and contrast, due to the background it was sitting upon, so some of the edge features might appear distorted. This one is about 45 mm long from claws to curled tip of its tail.