By Jill Henderson – Show Me Oz –
This morning I found this little Striped Scorpion (Centruroides vittatus) in the gravel near our front porch. Although they might look quite ferocious, these tiny, one and a half inch arachnids are shy and rarely seen. This one wanted nothing to do with me and wanted nothing more than to hide as I attempted to take it’s photograph. Even after nudging it into the open several times, it never once tried to sting me.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation website, “A scorpion has a pair of eyes in the middle of its back, as well as two to five additional pairs of eyes along the front edge of its body. Even though they have a lot of eyes, scorpions have poor vision. They make up for this by having tiny sensitive hairs on their pinchers that help them detect motion. In addition, scorpions have strange comb-like structures called pectines on their underside, which are unique to scorpions. The pectines are sensitive to touch, to ground vibrations and perhaps even to sound.”
In all my years of living in these Ozark hills, this is the first time I have ever seen a scorpion. I was surprised by how small they really are! I went back to the MDC to find out more about how venomous these little arachnids might be.
“Scorpions are venomous, and although the sting is quite painful, it is almost never life-threatening. However, just as with bee and wasp stings, some people can respond with an allergic reaction that requires medical attention. Scorpions are secretive and would rather flee than sting.”
“Scorpions prefer glades with lots of loose rock (such as limestone or dolomite glades) so that they can hide from the sun during the day.
Among the most ancestral of arachnids, scorpions first appear in the fossil record as aquatic animals during the Silurian period, about 430 million years ago, about the same time the first bony fishes appeared. Some of these scorpions were among the first animals to live on land.”
So, if you happen upon one of these rare invertebrates, admire its uniqueness and then allow it to run and hide. You’ll probably never see it again.
Quotes from the MDC can be found on their webpage for the Striped Scorpion.
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Jill Henderson is an artist, author, and the editor of Show Me Oz . Her books, The Healing Power of Kitchen Herbs, The Garden Seed Saving Guide and A Journey of Seasons can be found in the Show Me Oz Bookstore. Jill’s work has also appeared in The Permaculture Activist, The Essential Herbal, Acres USA, and Llewellyn’s Herbal Almanac.