Giant Vinegaroon (Mastigoproctus giganteus)

[wolfdenied]

beautifull :D...uffff

[PITTSTON2SARASOTA]

I saw one of these "terrors" at the beach once......finally know what species it was...but what I saw was over 6 inches long, not counting the tail.

[rckmrc]

My dad like thot theat vas a roach so he just like stick down the finger and the scorpion/insect thing just like walked away.... but ive heard its a kida dangerus insect so.... yhe ps.. it was in thailand

[DaMentalHorse]

sorry what i meant by insects is arachnids

[DaMentalHorse]

honeslty this is the most freakin aweomest and freakest thing i saw, Ive been looking at stores and online stores but none sell them. I am extremly good at taking care of insects. Does anyone know a online sight or store that will sell them, just please tell me or give me a link, thanks

[Beinvo]

Literally, this is the NASTIEST thing I have ever seen. D: I think they live around where I live, fml. How big are they? Like compared to something else? ;o

[buffhomer]

@Beinvo Bodies anywhere from 2-1/4-4", really big ones around here could probably straddle an iPhone.

[Beinvo]

@buffhomer omg. o: where are you talking about when you say around "here"? haha. o: I already cry and freak out seeing a little scorpion, if I saw this thing I would FREAK out. lool. D;

[roothands]

There is currently a Vinegaroon living on my porch. He eats all the bugs, so I let him stay.

[carmen0981]

Quick! Get a pokeball!

[MultiMysterymen]

where can i get this type of cat?

[bloggulator]

Vinegaroons are harmless. But don't let one spray you in the face.. ..acetic acid stings if it gets in your eyes. Also, those pincers are strong

[splintercell186]

@taurenmale so do they have fangs,is it a typ of spider,or is it a scorpion,or is it a cross of both spider and scorpion, i know its a stupid ?

[Depro900]

Does ANYBODY KNOW THESE THINGS LIFESPAN?

[oscarceus]

@Depro900 from 3 to 5 years

[calimar28]

Actually its claws are the 7th and 8th leg. Not its antenni

[vef444]

maby stingers were evolutionary made from front legs?

[RyanJWN]

so is this an arachind, or a bug. Im not sure cos it has claws.

[ojideagu]

@RyanJWN It's an Arachnid, you can see it's like a Scorpion and a spider. It's almost half way between them.

[calimar28]

@RyanJWN Its an Arachnid so its in the Spider family, but more closley related to the Scorpion which is also in the Spider family. What differs a "pure" arachnid like a spider from a "scorpion member" of the arachnids is that a Scorpion and Vinagaroon have 8 legs, but 2 of the legs are actually claws. A Spiders 8 legs are all legs, you see?

[FREDYSALGATI]

the long "antenna" on its ass is a tail used to spray some sort of acid, they do so when they sence danger, and they are big as fuck. the "acid" is harmful to skin. I dont know where you can find them besides mexico. and i would assume along the mex / us border.

[calimar28]

@FREDYSALGATI Texas has them as does New Mexico. Probebly Arizona as well.

[MinisterOfKiwis]

Here we find the tranciever in it's natural Habitat.

[TheOriginalThought1]

That 'tail' is used as a self-defense mechanism. When predators try to do something to the false whipped scorpion, a vinegar-like substance is squirted at the foe and the arachnid retreats from harm.

[Choi267]

@TheOriginalThought1 OHHH!! i shoot out a vinegar-like substance too!!!

[bomerman104]

Thelyphonida is an arachnid order comprising invertebrates commonly known as vinegarroons. They are often called uropygids in the scientific community after the former order Uropygi (which originally also included the order Schizomida). They are also known as whip scorpions because of their resemblance to true scorpions and because of their whiplike tails.

[IcySalamence0]

they are very docile and if they trust you then they are extremely calm. and yes they are 100% NOT venomous/poisonous

[tonyrosam]

they have a species of that in florida i seen it was about 6 inches long

[JustAFocus]

I read somewhere that regular cooking vinegar is 3 to 5% acetic acid -- and the vinegaroon's is concentrated to 84% acetic acid. Plus it's mixed with caprylic acid which is non-water-based, so unlike vinegar, the vinegaroon's acid will stick to you rather than just run right off. And the separate chemicals are stored in different parts of its body and then mixed into the volatile mixture at the last split-second before it shoots out its behind. This bug is like an H.R. Geiger creation.

[XxSinkHolexX]

That is called a whip lash scorpion. Its tail shoots out a concentrated acid that actually burns like no other. It mainly uses it for defense and uses it claws to kill its prey.

[Mikeyboy8325]

so would it be considered an arachnid???

[ChaoticPhill]

I guess so, because ordinary scorpions are considered arachnids. And this one is just another type of scorpion. But I'd suggest you to look for it on the internet.

[lukemantis]

Yes.

I is quite closely related to scorpions.

[Mikeyboy8325]

thanks for the info!!..was actually just wondering if they were poisonous...glad to know now!!!

[Urmum55]

Despite it's bulkier appearance, these seem MUCH less menacing than the Tanzanian Giant Tailless species (to me). That, and if it ever escaped its cage, it wouldn't have as many places to hide >.>

[ESAMMEX]

Actually...

Vinegaroon ==== Whip scorpion.

Those are two different names for the same thing.

[NairbXFilms]

sigh i miss seeing that beautiful creature. my baby vinegaroon died last week. we have no idea what happened. the day before it died I was handling it fine and it looked perfectly healthy. i just really truly miss the little guy

[XenoNeltharion]

Cool, learn a little more each day. Now for my next question, Are those front appendages also used for grabbing and holding or just fir shooting acid.

[XenoNeltharion]

Ok im not going to dis it, but, what is that thing on its hind end used for.

[PigHunter375]

If anything, they deserve to be left alone, they have existed on this planet long before we came along, and will more than likely exist long after we are gone. They are spectacular creatures to observe.

[prophecynetworks]

i dont know whats worse, when these kinds odf tings move really fast, or really slow, they both are really creepy in their own way

[ansith27]

does any1 kno how old this species is on an evolution chart? just curious

[Kahuna1458]

I held a vinigaroon before at a bug exibit place I guess you could call it. I was scared but they are surprising calm and gentle when you don't screw around with them.Mostly like every other animal on earth.

[cactuarhero]

I loved it when I had my old pet Vinegaroone.  It made a very good pet and was easy to care for. Despite their vicious appearance, they are actually very gentle insects to handle as well and they don't seem to mind being handled.

[Krat0s82]

Many species also have very large scorpion-like pedipalps (pincers). They have one pair of eyes at the front of the cephalothorax and three on each side of the head. Whip scorpions have no poison glands, but they do have glands near the rear of their abdomen that can spray a combination of acetic acid and octanoic acid when they are bothered.

[Krat0s82]

G'day, What we have here is a uropygid (whip scorpion) they are the largest species, of the genus Mastigoproctus (Native to the rain forest regions of northern South America, these whip scorpions can reach a length about 9 centimetres)

[chowbelly]

Weres the folkin vinegar? Hunh? I got me fish'n'chips, I needs clicks on here to get sum vinegar and I dont see no vinegar. folk you tricksters. be damned you  all of you

[bushcraft80]

What a beautiful creature. It's funny how camel spiders are truly repulsive to me, but this creature is amazing to look at! It appears almost graceful in its movement.

[Azzararti]

i bought one of these in my exotic pet shop here in the UK, the smell when threatened these guys give off is horriffic lol, kool lil critter thou, made a fine addition to my collection, my most recent one is a centipede :)

[cactuarhero]

I used to have one of these as a pet. I caught it when I lived in Odessa, Texas inside a rotted log.

[raquelinator]

We like them here in NM. They're good bugs, almost like good-luck charms. They're very docile and almost Zen in the way they move. NOTHING even remotely like the experience of finding a scorpion or a giant Centipede, which are both VERY spooky and painful to encounter. If we find a Vinegaroon inside the house (there was a 4" crawling accross the floor last week) we just carefully let him crawl onto a newspaper and re-deposit him in the garden. They eat cockroaches, and THAT is a good thing.

[tamsi93]

These are NOT scorpions, folks. They are not even in the same category (Arachnid). Vinegaroons have their own Order- Uropygi. They do NOT have a stinger at the tip of the tail. They can pinch with their claws, and they can spray a mist from scent glands at the base of the tail when disturbed. The mist produced by species contains 85% concentrated acetic acid or vinegar, hence the name "vinegaroon."

Personally I'd think it would be really cool to find one in my back yard- at a distance.

[mrcraig41]

For trainmandan05:

------------------

Believe it or not, these arachnids don't bite at all. How do I know that? I used to live in Roswell New Mexico and we got many of these creatures around during summer months. I used to pick them up and they'd crawl around on my hand no problem. They have no venom, no stinger and no jaws. They have small sucking mouth parts. The BIG claws up front are for grabbing prey and crushing them. Then the vinegaroon sucks out the body fluids :)

[mrcraig41]

I used to live in Roswell New Mexico and

these cool arachnids would be all over the place during summer months. They are very creepy looking, but totally harmless. I used to pick them up all the time and people would

be shocked, LOL! Vinegaroons have no venom and no stinger. About the worst they could do is squirt your hand with a FOUL vinegar smelling fluid if they feel threatened. The huge claws or palps up front are for grabbing prey and then they suck out its body fluids :)

[castrosux94]

did the person who came up w/ the name 4 this animal think of vinegar and a macaroon and just decided to put the words together or something lol

[Gl2AV1TY]

omg thats a mexican species of vinagaroon and its the biggest in the world but they are inofencive nice video

[raiderhawg]

I love these things because they are so scary looking, though totally harmless. I found them in West Texas and in Southeastern New Mexico. They like basements and ditches and such.

[gabonicabitis]

It's commonly called a whip scorpion. It is an Arachnid so related to spiders but not actually a spider. These are uropygi, there are also tailless whip scorpions which are amblypygi.

[asdflkjhgp]

ohh ive seen one of those before on a vacation..we got it in a cup and their big!

[bloodstone1445]

I dont get why so many insects are blind hunters.

Those long probe legs and tail must be inconvenient

[wineandlobos]

I find these outside of my Albuquerque,New Mexico home, my subdivision is in the middle of the desert.They are freaky.

[snattler]

If you are real gentle with them you can hold them without getting sprayed with that acetic acid mixture. That strong vinegar smell doesn't wash off right away.

[jerrye74]

I used to kill them because in my home here in Mexico there was a lot and it looks very impressive and stink. I was living in an unpopulated area, but now my neighborhood has increased a lot, the desert where they used to live now are full of houses and i have many years without seing anyone of these creatures.

[TheLoveMonkey]

Thanks for posting this. Two years ago I saw a vinegaroon walking across the warehouse floor where I work in the Philly suburbs. As you can imagine I was very suprised because we don't get bugs that big in the mid atlantic region. Earlier in the day we had received a shipment from New Mexico. It must have come in with that. The next time I see one I'm going to catch it.