topic Re: The Stuff of Nightmares! in Community Chat

The Stuff of Nightmares!

Anonymous032819 — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 02:28:26 GMT

Oh, heck no!

This would have me running and screaming!

Summer rains bring 'acid-squirting land lobster from hell' in Texas

by WOAI/KABB Staff

Tuesday, July 20th 2021

Large black vinegaroon showing thin "whip" tail; long, thin front legs; and heavy mouthparts that serve as pincers. | Photo: CNN Newsource <p>{/p}

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas — BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas (WOAI/KABB) — We bet ‘acid spraying Vinegaroons’ weren’t on your bingo card for 2021.

Big Bend National Park shared on their Facebook page earlier this week the news of how these acid spraying arachnids are being brought out of their burrows by summer rains and are in “search of food and love.”

The National Park Service says the creatures are about three inches long and relatively unharmful unless you annoy them.

They can pinch with their heavy mouth parts, also known as pedipalps, and can shoot a spray of 85% acetic acid (vinegar) from the base of their "whip" to protect themselves, the park says in their post.

The park adds the Vinegaroons are nocturnal and can’t see very well.

“They hunt millipedes, scorpions, crickets, cockroaches, and other invertebrates by sensing vibrations with their long, thin front legs. Most commonly seen in the desert, this vinegaroon was taking a stroll around the Chisos Basin campground,” the post reads.

Female Vinegaroons can be seen sometimes carrying hatchlings on their back.

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

NicksmomESQ — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 02:37:59 GMT

@Anonymous032819 YUCK!!

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

Qcloudy — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 02:38:18 GMT

They aren't so bad. I have seen lots of them outside at my house. They do stink when they spray, though. Smells like strong vinegar.

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

On It — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 02:40:04 GMT

@Anonymous032819 @Clearly something for the entomologist to love, but not me!

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

RedTop — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 02:46:25 GMT

I'd rather run across this critter than the 3 ft timber rattler a family member sent me a picture of from their stroll in rural Morgantown, WV this week!

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

x Hedge — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 03:04:58 GMT

nice!

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

deepwaterdotter — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 03:07:41 GMT

"Don't Mess with Texas"

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

colliemom4 — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 03:09:54 GMT

It looks like a lobster cockroach combo. I'd rather see that than a snake or big alligator.

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

Kachina624 — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 03:32:56 GMT

Somebody in my neighborhood just posted a picture of this thing on the NextDoor app. Found one in their house. I've never seen one. Apparently they're harmless to people.

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

Jk9 — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 04:44:58 GMT

Sound fine to me. Look at what they eat. I consider them natural insect control, especially if they don't bother us if we leave them alone. I might not want to see a herd of them coming at me.....

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

aubnwa01 — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 06:30:07 GMT

Apparently, Vinegaroons also occur here in Tucson, though in 15 years here, I've never seen one. (As if scorpions, rattlers, Gila Monsters, tarantulas, windscorpions, black witch moths, tarantula hawks, Palo Verde Root Borer Beetles, Giant Desert Centipedes & other assorted lovelies weren't enough!)

ETA: Almost forgot about the extremely fragrant, Javelina!

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

Sweetbay magnolia — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 08:26:23 GMT

Around where I am, (east coast, mid atlantic) there is a really cool critter called a "wheel bug". Gets about 1.5 inches in length. Rarely spotted though - probably knows better. We run in fear and squash!

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

godi — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 11:28:15 GMT

😳😳😳😳

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

Spurt — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 19:17:00 GMT

@Anonymous032819 wrote:

Summer rains bring 'acid-squirting land lobster from hell' in Texas
by WOAI/KABB Staff
Tuesday, July 20th 2021
Big Bend National Park shared on their Facebook page earlier this week the news of how these acid spraying arachnids are being brought out of their burrows by summer rains and are in “search of food and love.” They hunt millipedes, scorpions, crickets, cockroaches, and other invertebrates by sensing vibrations with their long, thin front legs. Most commonly seen in the desert, this vinegaroon was taking a stroll around the Chisos Basin campground,” the post reads.

@Anonymous032819

Well Im all for them if they get rid of the advertised critters....but I wonder how they would do up against another "pest control" creature that nature has provided----a Texas Wolf Spider----that also preys on cockroaches and other pests.....a battle between the two would be stuff that ole Sci Fi movies are made of.....

In this corner we have the Vingaroon----

And in this corner the Texas Wolf Spider----

May the best insect win!

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

silkyk — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 13:23:15 GMT

And in this corner we have the CA potatoe bug. Had one of these nightmares stroll into my kitchen a while back but my Silky Terriers were on the job.OMG.... gave me the heebie jeebies. I kept looking around for any of his buddies for days. Pups still looking.

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

Azcowgirl — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 15:52:38 GMT

We have the pale colored vinegaroons , creepy but harmless. Just glad they don't get as big as they do in the middle eastern countries where they call them camel spiders, and they are as big as your hand 😣. Ick.

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

suzyQ3 — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 17:52:06 GMT

@silkyk wrote:
And in this corner we have the CA potatoe bug. Had one of these nightmares stroll into my kitchen a while back but my Silky Terriers were on the job.OMG.... gave me the heebie jeebies. I kept looking around for any of his buddies for days. Pups still looking.

@silkyk, yes, they are very scary to come upon. We have a friend who long ago turned over in bed and was eye-to-eye with one of them. He moved from that apartment!

I saw one once when jogging. Oy vey! There are even more alarming than your picture indicates.

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

aubnwa01 — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 21:12:26 GMT

@silkyk wrote:
And in this corner we have the CA potatoe bug. Had one of these nightmares stroll into my kitchen a while back but my Silky Terriers were on the job.OMG.... gave me the heebie jeebies. I kept looking around for any of his buddies for days. Pups still looking.

I remember seeing a few of those as a kid in SoCal & was thoroughly traumatized! My mom called them Potato Bugs, too, but I've also heard them called Jerusalem Crickets & Child Of The Earth.

Re: The Stuff of Nightmares!

just bee — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 23:11:52 GMT

@aubnwa01 wrote:
@silkyk wrote:
And in this corner we have the CA potatoe bug. Had one of these nightmares stroll into my kitchen a while back but my Silky Terriers were on the job.OMG.... gave me the heebie jeebies. I kept looking around for any of his buddies for days. Pups still looking.
I remember seeing a few of those as a kid in SoCal & was thoroughly traumatized! My mom called them Potato Bugs, too, but I've also heard them called Jerusalem Crickets & Child Of The Earth.

@aubnwa01

Yes, the Jerusalem cricket.

In California, I knew him as Mr. Potato Bug. Here in New Mexico, he is a Child of the Earth.

The day we had a houseguest from California and there was a Child of the Earth on our patio, infested with horsehair worms, I almost called the realtor to tell him we were selling and getting the ____ outta Dodge.

Now that's the stuff of nightmares!