Monday, March 10, 2008

SCORPION


PICTURED BELOW IS A SCORPION THAT WAS CAPTURED AT THE CAMPER BEHIND US. THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN IN AND THROUGH A GLASS JAR.

SPRING IS THAT TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN YOU HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE OPEN FOR SCORPIONS AND THE DIAMOND BACK RATTLE SNAKES. THEY COME OUT OF HIBERNATION AND THEY MOVE DOWN IN ALTITUDE FOR WARMTH AND A DRINK AT THE RIVER.

IN THIS RV PARK WE ARE PROTECTED BY A CHAIN LINK FENCE, WITH A SHORT CEMENT WALL, FROM THE SNAKES, SCORPIONS, AND COYOTES. WE ARE FURTHER PROTECTED BY THREE NESTED PAIRS OF ROADRUNNERS THAT EAT THE SNAKES, SCORPIONS, MICE, AND WILL EVEN STAND DOWN A COYOTE.

DIANA PLANS ON RELEASING THE SCORPION IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN HER ROAD RUNNERS STOP FOR THEIR AFTERNOON SNACK.

THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND SCORPION I'VE SEEN HERE ON MOHAVE DESERT, BUT THIS ONE IS THREE TIMES AS BIG AS THE FIRST ONE I SAW.




THE NEXT AFTERNOON DIANA DID RELASE THE SCORPION WHEN HER ROADRUNNERS CAME FOR THEIR AFTERNOON SNACK TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED? THE SCORPION SAT STILL ON THE CEMENT PATIO, BUT AS SOON AS IT MOVED THE ROADRUNNER RUSHED IT, GRABBED IT WITH IT'S BEAK AND SNAPPED IT IN TWO. THE ROADRUNNER TOOK THE TOP HALF AND BANGED IT ON THE PATIO A COUPLE OF TIMES AND PROMPTLY ATE IT. THEN REPEATED THE PROCEDURE FOR THE LOWER HALF, WITH ONE EXCEPTION, THE ROADRUNNER LEFT ONE HIND LEG AND THE STINGER BEHIND.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The roadrunner thread is so cool! We always think of the desert as a dead and barren place, like the surface of the moon.


Hans

Anonymous said...

delilah loaned me her laptop so i could check this out from bed....if i promise not to bleed on it;) that is a very cool tale!!! gotta go rest drs orders! I need pain killers!!!! My nose is HUGE i'll send pics late!! Love!!

Unknown said...

This scorpion is a desert hairy, I would guess by the size comparison that the first one you found was a bark scorpion. I would guess that if you went outside at night with a blacklight you would find a lot more scorpions, I find about 4 a night. Also, I love roadrunners.