May 4, 2008

Whip Scorpion Babies

Here's another mother-whip-scorpion-with-babies installment from Mary the Zookeeper. For those of you who don't know yet, whip scorpions make for great mothers.

Some of you are going to see these photos and ooh and ahh as though seeing a new litter of fuzzy labrador puppies.

Others of you are going to cringe and start swatting at phantom tickles all over you body.

To both groups, I say "You're welcome."

Thanks, Mary.



15 comments:

Annica said...

I have been staring at the pictures for about five minutes... And I still do not know quite what to say...!

Annica said...

well, I looked at them again :) And all kind of questions start coming up... Why are the babies green? How big is mommy in real life? Are they poisonous? Do they pinch people with those front-leg-things? Are these creatures from Mars??
I'm getting a little itchy...

Anonymous said...

Ugh. That is so gross. It makes me squirm.

Jade said...

Annica- They're green because they haven't molted yet. On their first molt, they'll turn the mother's colors. The have no poison or venom to speak of. They can pinch, but I've never been pinched while handling one. They *are* from Earth. :)

I have to correct one thing, though. These are TAILLESS whipscorpions. Whipscorpions are a totally different alien beast. Do you want some pictures of those, Rabid? We had babies a few years ago.

Jack Ruttan said...

Nice combo of spindly and lacy.

Annica said...

Thnx Jade :)

Anonymous said...

So to the resident arachnid-n-stuff expert Jade: are the white parts their heads? What are the pink strings?
I'm almost not too hinked out about this because the pink strands look like icing...that mama whiptail got cornered by a pastry lady with a frosting gun over at Kroger's...

Annica said...

The pink strings are their baby-legs, the green things are their baby-butts, the orange little thingies are their baby-pinchers and yes the whiter parts are their baby-heads :)
I guess :)

Jade said...

Annica's right :)

Denita TwoDragons said...

*logs on, ignores waves of morning sickness while bringing up browser, cruises over to UgO...glances at whip scorpion, suddenly realizes her own gravid state isn't so hinky after all...waddles off to find ginger candy...*

--TwoDragons

Anonymous said...

Awwww, Good mama.

Raging Wombat said...

Denita, are congratulations in order?

Anonymous said...

That'd make one heck of a Mother's Day card!

Arachnophile said...

LOL - Denita! At least you'll not be expected to carry 20 or so of your spawn on your back. ;)

These guys are one of my favorite creatures! I know I say that all the time but it's true. And they are good mommas. I'm in love with that color of green. We see it on the freshly emerged cicadas too.

Anonymous said...

Hehe, they look like little boogers with pink noodles. Like some sort of weird baby metroid/jellyfish.

(Slash booger of course. XP)