RELATED: If You See This Bug, Crush It Immediately, USDA Says. On July 14, Big Bend National Park shared a photo of a vinegaroon, an arachnid also known as a whip scorpion that had been found in the park the previous week. According to CBS News, these creatures also go by the name “land lobsters” thanks to the obvious resemblance to those crustaceans. Per the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), the scorpion-like bugs can be found in Arizona, Florida, and Texas. RELATED: If You Live in These States, Report This Bug to Local Officials. According to the experts at Big Bend National Park, vinegaroons are “relatively benign unless you happen to annoy them.” If you do annoy them, whether it on purpose or by accident, “they can pinch with their heavy mouthparts (pedipalps) and shoot a well-aimed spray of 85 percent acetic acid (vinegar) from the base of their ‘whip’ to protect themselves.” Experts are fascinated by this creature, noting that “if you’re lucky enough to see one, look closely.” But you should also be careful not to startle them, lest you get pinched or sprayed. The approximately three-inch-long bug is most often seen following a rainstorm. Park officials wrote that “summer rains bring vinegaroons out of their burrows in search of food and love.” According to the Conservation Society of California, they tend to hide “in burrows or beneath rocks and logs during the day, and hunt prey during the night.” These creatures are most active during the rainy season, as they are pushed from their burrows, but they tend to remain underground when it’s dry. RELATED: For more bug content delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb Experts say that you’re not the prey of a vinegaroon, even though they can attack when irritated or frightened. When it comes to what they’re actually hunting for, these bugs most commonly munch on other ground dwellers. According to the Conservation Society of California, vinegaroons’ diet largely consists of “slugs, worms, and insects such as crickets, termites, and cockroaches.” RELATED: If You Live in These States, Prepare to See More Tarantulas.
