Awesome Animal Fact - Striped Bark Scorpion

Missouri only has one species of scorpion, the striped bark scorpion. They fascinate me, but I have a knack for getting stung. I've been stung three times (or is it four?), each time on my finger. Why? Because I can't resist turning over flat rocks to look for snakes and other critters hanging around under the rocks. The scorpions often cling upside down to the bottoms of these rocks, and when I put my fingers under the edge of a rock to lift it... pow!

Here's a striped bark scorpion I found recently.

These things pack a punch—about like a hornet or wasp sting. Not dangerous, but not fun. Some scorpions in other regions of the world are more dangerous.

By the way, scorpions are really ancient creatures. They've been around for at least 430 million years. At that time they were aquatic animals. They were among the first animals to adapt to living on land.

I know what you're thinking. Why didn't I learn to be more careful after the first encounter? I am more careful now. But still, I can't be sure it won't happen again.