Facts about Whip scorpions
(so-called because they do not have a whip and they're not scorpions Otherwise
the description is perfectly accurate).
The Vinegarroon (also spelled Vinegaroon), Mastigoproctus giganteus, is a type
of Whip Scorpion, an arachnid that emits a vinegar-like mist (containing mostly
acetic acid). Useful to carry with you on picnics, with the olive oil. The
Vinegarroon is not venomous and is not a true scorpion. It is related to
spiders, true scorpions, and ticks.
Vinegarroons are carnivores (meat-eaters) that hunt at night (they are
nocturnal). They use their powerful pincers to catch prey. During the day,
Vinegarroons hide under leaves or rocks.
The long, whip-like tail is used as a sensory organ and does not have a stinger
(unlike true scorpions, which have a stinger at the tip of the segmented tail).
In captivity they tend to be very aggressive to one another and it is only
possible to keep them in individual cages.
The common Thai name for them means 'stinking scorpion'.
Whip Scorpions range in size from 25 to 70mm in length,
They use their long thin front legs as feelers, in much the same way that
insects use their antennae.
Feeding Ecology
Whip Scorpions are purely nocturnal hunters feeding mostly on insects such as
cockroaches and grasshoppers, though they also eat worms and slugs. The prey is
siezed between the two pedipalps and crushed between special teeth on the inside
of the trochanters (the second segment of the leg) of the front legs. The large
American Mastigoproctus giganteus carries its prey back to its burrow to eat and
has been known to feed on small frogs and toads.
Whip scorpion. (Pest Identification).
Pest Control, Oct, 2001, by Raj Saran
Their whip-like tail is sensory in function.
After mating, the pregnant female digs a special burrow with a large area at the
end. When the eggs hatch, the young are white and look nothing like their
mother. They attach themselves to their mother by special suckers. After a
while, however, they molt and look like miniature whip scorpions. They are
slow-growing and molt three times over a period of about three years.