A most dreaded visitor to our homes, the scorpion! "They won't kill you, but you'll feel like you're dying!"
This is the "Yellow Devil" scorpion, Paravaejovis confusus, also referred to as the Coahuila devil scorpion. They are found in dry areas, and they are burrowing creatures. They can live from 5 - 7 years, and feed on crickets, cockroaches and many other insects, drinking from small pools of standing water. They can grow to be as much as 3 inches long (about 8 cm.)
At night, armed with a black-light flashlight, you can see these creatures shining with a bright, bioluminescent blue glow, which is produced by special cells on their exoskeleton called photophores. Often, they do not run away when you shine the light on them, but when they do leave, they can quickly fit into the tiniest of crevices in a wall, or under rocks.
This specimen invaded my home under the doorway. I was able to scoop him into a glass dish, and viewed him under a Tomlov DM202 Max digital microscope. I did not in any way agitate him (just in case he could jump up and get me!), and after filming, I released him outdoors (actually, about a block away, so he wouldn't be so quick to revisit my kitchen!)
Original music/video "The Journey" by My-Fi Saloon @my-fisaloon8370
29 сен 2024