Mastigoproctus giganteus Vinegaroon Class: Arachnida. Order: Uropygi. Family: . Other names: Whip-Scorpion, Giant Whip Scorpion, Grampus

Physical Description: Vinegaroons are a black/brown species of whip scorpion with heavy pedipalps, the second set of appendages in , which are formed into pincers. They have eight legs, the first pair-long and thin are used like antenna to feel their way around and the other six are used for walking. They can grow up to 6 inches from their front legs to long, whip-like tail which is used as a sensory organ. They have 8 eyes (2 in the middle, 3 on each side of head) but are known to have poor vision and rely on sensing vibrations to locate their prey. While called a scorpion, this has neither the venom-filled stinger found in scorpions nor the venomous bite found in some spiders.

Diet in the Wild: Worms, slugs, small frogs, various insects; termites, cockroaches, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, millipedes.

Diet at the Zoo: Crickets.

Habitat & Range: Mostly desert, also found in grassland, scrub, pine forest, and mountains of the Southern United States. Commonly found in loose soil, leaf litter, under logs and rotting wood, and indoors in humid moist corners.

Life Span: Males up to 10 years, females up to 20 years.

Perils in the wild: Predators of whip scorpions include mammals such as raccoons, coatis, armadillos, skunks, and even bear, feral hogs and peccaries. Other predators are birds, lizards,

Physical Adaptations: When threatened, vinegaroons seek the refuge of their burrows or put on a bluff display of rearing up and spreading their pedipalps. They can also spray a mist of an 85% concentrated acetic acid or vinegar up to a foot in distance. This serves as a defense mechanism, not dangerous to skin but stings severely if it gets into an 's eyes or nostrils giving the vinegaroon a chance to escape. Pedipalps lined with spines and are used to catch and crush their prey.

Behavioral Adaptations: Vinegaroons are nocturnal. During the day they remain out of sight in burrows they dig with their pedipalps. Vinegaroons solitary predators, but they are known to share large prey with other vinegaroons. Up to six individuals have been seen feeding at the same time on a particularly large millipede or beetle.

Reproduction and Development: Mating takes place in the fall. A complex mating ritual lasts up to 13 hours. 09/04/2012

The male secretes and transfers a sperm sac into the female. She carries the eggs internally for several months and then lays 30 to 40 eggs in a fluid filled sac held under her abdomen. She remains in her burrow holding the egg sac off the ground for an additional two months. The mucous membrane helps preserve moisture, allowing the eggs to develop. The young are white in color when they hatch from the eggs and then climb onto their mother's back for about one month. Once the first molt is complete the young look like miniatures of the adults. At this point, they leave their mother's burrow. The mother whip scorpion, having completed her life cycle, dies soon after. Immature whip scorpions take about a year between each of the next three molts.

Additional Information of Interest: Like other scorpions, the vinegaroon will phosphoresce under black light. They have a weaker glow and different body parts reflect different colors from yellow to purple. Nerf created a Nerf Gun designed after the body style of a vinegaroon

Conservation Connection: Arachnids Arachnids are a numerous and diverse group, with over 50,000 species described so far. They include spiders, scorpions, vinegaroons, whip spiders and their relatives. The arachnids are largely predators, truly as deadly as they appear, but usually only creatures on their own scale, mainly insects. By filling the ecological niche of a diminutive predator, arachnids of all types are important in maintaining the balance of nature by keeping insect populations in check.

Arachnids, like their insect relatives, are , the evolutionary decedents of creatures called trilobites. In fact the first land were scorpions which appeared some 400 million years ago. In the eons since, the diversity of arachnids has allowed them to flourish in every place on Earth that can support life, from tropical forests to scorching deserts to our own backyards.

Conservation Status: N/A

Conservation Efforts: N/A

Glossary: List of definitions of the most important recurrent technical terms used in the text. pedipalps – the second set of appendages in arachnids.

Sources: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens Dallas Zoo, www.dallaszooed.com http://jcabbott.photoshelter.com/image/I0000xpoNd1G6mQE http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/misc/giant_whip_scorpion.htm http://beardsleyzoo.org/giantvinegaroon-fk1 Hickman and Roberts. 1994. Biology of Animals

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