Scorpionling Guano

Photos by Vasiliy Loskutov
We've all heard that old adage that you shouldn't shop when you're hungry. Well, the same can be said about blogging. Don't do it when you're hungry.

When I saw the thumbnail of this image to the left, I thought it was a bowl of ramen or noodles. Imagine my surprise when I clicked on it and discovered that it was actually a pile of scorpion babies latched on to their mother's back.

Imagine my horror when I realized that my hunger was still intact, and that I was wondering what they'd taste like.

These are baby Serradigitalus scorpion babies, with the mommy shown more prominently below. What I don't understand is what those white splash marks are on the mother's back. Is that baby scorpion poo? Scorpionling guano? Has no one taught her proper diapering technique?

I've heard of mothers being dumped on by their kids. But this is just so...literal.

UPDATE: anon3 has reported that these splashes of white on the mom's back aren't scorpionling droppings. Rather, they are the residue of the baby scorpions' first molt. I wonder if the mommy will simply shake them off, or if she'll stash the hides in a box for a keepsake. I'm so glad my eight-month-old son doesn't molt. Cleaning diapers and the wreckage of what is left of his oat cereal is enough.