This is a two-parter. In this first part we will talk about
scorpions, but the story also contains a second critter, the ant, which will be
discussed next week in addition to another ant story.
Scorpions. We who live in Lea County know all about
scorpions. An annoyance more than
anything, they can bring a sense of dread to people. Although, as we have discussed earlier,
scorpions have 8 legs and are therefore not really a bug. In any case, scorpions are found throughout
the world and come in a range of sizes.
Human trade and commerce have introduced scorpions to such places as
Great Britain and New Zealand where they wouldn’t naturally occur. Scorpions are nocturnal predators. They eat mostly other arthropods but larger
ones have been known to kill lizards and mice.
All species of scorpion use venom to kill or paralyze their
victims. Of the 1,000+ known species of
scorpions, only 25 have venom deadly to humans.
Did you know that most scorpions
glow blue under a black light? Scientist
think this is to help the scorpion detect light. Steven Blandin uses this information to go
scorpion hunting in his house. This comes
after a scorpion crawled on his pillow and brushed against his cheek when he
was a teenager. This near-death
experience (near-death from the heart attack it almost gave him) prompted him
to begin his hunts. He advises that you
pick up an inexpensive ultraviolet flashlight at Lowes or Home Depot and try it
for yourself.
Shoshana Howell also found a live
scorpion. One of her sons asked who
would win in a fight between a scorpion and ants. A valid question, they took the scorpion to a
carpenter ant hill. The ants swarmed the
scorpion. With a little help from Shoshana
and her son, the scorpion had no chance of escape. When enough ants had joined, they took the
scorpion carcass down into their hole.
If you have questions about
scorpion venom please visit the UNM New Mexico Poison and Drug information
Center. http://nmpoisoncenter.unm.edu/education/pub-ed/pp_tip_pages/venom_things.html
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