Scorps on the beach

[dirtsurfer]

Last night in Miramar we killed a big scorpion that had crawled on to our porch. I grabbed a scorpion light and walked the bushy upper beach and was stunned at what I discovered. Just in front of four lots we killed 59 scorps. They were mostly large but some babies were there also. Two observations: the scorps were not too interested in the structures and there were no medium sized scorpions, just large and tiny. I have not seen a scorpion in Miramar in 15 years and now I discover the beach infested with them.
It is "game on" now. We will be doing a beach wide sweep on the next trip.

 

[ernesto]

How big were these? A few years back my housecleaner "saved " me one in a baggie on my counter for my return visit. Biggest scorpion I have ever seen, at least 4 " long. Definitely a different species than we see in the valley. She called it a Sand Scorpion

 

[Southbeacher]

After a tad of searching, I learned that scorpions reproduce during summer, so they would be plentiful now . . . just in time for when the (docile) tarantulas come out to mate (and munch on scorpions and cockroaches). Fellow scorpions, centipedes, lizards, birds (especially owls) and mammals such as bats are among their other predators. So as long as they stay outside (with the help of well-sealed door jambs), we:

· “entertain” guests with nighttime demos on the dunes via UV light

· wear shoes after dark.

Apparently – under UV light – the large sand scorpions appear purple, and the smaller (but more venomous) bark scorpions appear green. Both are nocturnal, and nonaggressive to humans, so the “stringray shuffle” would apply to dunes at night.

 

[JimMcG]

Don't forget the poisonous snakes also, small white, with red bands. They leave tracks in the sand.

 

[Stuart]

Don't forget the poisonous snakes also, small white, with red bands. They leave tracks in the sand.

What snake would that be? A type of coral snake, perhaps?

 

[Landshark]

"The coral snake rhyme varies from person to person, but the general premise is the same: Redtouch black, safe for Jack. Redtouches yellow, kills a fellow. The coral snake will have bands of redtouching smaller bands of yellow."

 

[Stuart]

"The coral snake rhyme varies from person to person, but the general premise is the same: Redtouch black, safe for Jack. Redtouches yellow, kills a fellow. The coral snake will have bands of redtouching smaller bands of yellow."

I can never remember that when I'm confronted by a snake, so I usually just chop it's head off immediately to be on the safe side.

:yes:

:killin:

 

[Jungle Jim]

Dirt.............

The large scorpion that you observed was probably the Giant Hairy Scorpion aka: the Sand Dune Scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis) These are the largest scorpions in North America reaching almost five inches in length. Their weak venom is less dangerous than a Honey Bee sting. These scorps are very common on desert dunes and softer sand washes. They dig an elaborate burrow that is easy to spot in the daytime. It is usually out in the open, on the bare sand and away from brush. The entrance will be a low half moon in shape with a fan of fresh kicked loose out sand at the mouth of the burrow. It is very common as in many areas you can stand in one spot and see a dozen or more burrows. The burrow size reflects the size of the scorpion. They commonly take up residence with the Fringe-Toed Sand Lizard and live together peacefully. You can almost universally tell the potency of a scorpions venom by the size of their claws. Those with large powerful claws don't need a deadly venom, those with small claws need powerful venom to subdue their prey. I've been stung hundreds of times by the Desert Giant while digging up the Fringe-Toed Lizards, ten times a day or more. They usually got me on top of my finger, mostly just striking my finger nail. When I did get stung I was usually more pissed off than in pain. A dip into an ice chest was all it took to deaden the pain and it only lasted thirty minutes or so.

The Desert Giant feeds on soft bodied insects like termites, Camel Crickets, butterfly and moth larvae and beetle grubs that they locate on the sandy surface at night. They will die in minutes when expose to the desert daytime heat. All in all they are harmless and beneficial animals that have no reason at all to be killed. If you find one in your shack just scoop him up and take him to a shady spot and release him. The "sting ray shuffle" won't work with these guys because they will hold their ground with tail up and ready to strike. I have one of those "scorp lights" that I plug into a power outlet on my truck and Jeep. Most people would be shocked when scanning the desert in the dark with one. I've seen a hundred or more in one 360 degree scan.

And Stu......

Where was that snake seen? It is 100% harmless and looks like a King Snake to me. Don't ever believe the "coral snake rhyme" as it does not work in tropical America. All coral snakes have small black eyes as they are mostly nocturnal. The snake in the photo is a diurnal animal with an iris that can contract in the sunlight.

JJ

 

[mondone]

Had a coral in Encanto a few years back.

 

[Jungle Jim]

IMPOSSIBLE..........

Unless some one brought it there. They DO NOT LIVE anywhere near RP.

JJ

 

[JimMcG]

The snakes I ran into were in the brush on the Dunes of the East Beaches where a security guard had killed six or more that afternoon and was greatly concerned for my safety as I walked in flip flops towards him across the dunes. I didn't look too closely at them and so their coloring could be a few shades off from memory.
By the way, in over 20 years I have never knowingly encountered scorpions in that area.

 

[Jungle Jim]

JimMcG..........

What you have described is almost 100% the very common but rarely seen completely harmless unless you are a Sand Roach or Camel Cricket, the Sonoran Shovel-nosed Snake. Adults are ten to sixteen inches long with gloss black and deep red saddles over a yellowish to pink background. When walking in any dune area the narrow sinuous snake tracks you see are almost all from this animal.

The other even less seen culprit would be the Banded Sand Snake, smaller and stouter at nine or ten inches in length. This snake has glossy black bands over a reddish orange background. They feed on even smaller sand dwelling insects and "swim" through the sand rather than over it as does the one mentioned above. Their tracks are distinctive as they leave a sunken look where the sand has caved in behind as the snake burrows along.

As par for the course in Mexico, any animal brightly colored in red or black, whether fish, snake, lizard or bug is smashed to death without any consideration at all......ever!

One thing to always be aware of is that the flora and fauna of Rocky Point and some miles southward is the southern extension of the low dry sandy Colorado Desert that begins up at Palm Springs, through Yuma and on into Sonora.

JJ

 

[Stuart]

And Stu......

Where was that snake seen? It is 100% harmless and looks like a King Snake to me. Don't ever believe the "coral snake rhyme" as it does not work in tropical America. All coral snakes have small black eyes as they are mostly nocturnal. The snake in the photo is a diurnal animal with an iris that can contract in the sunlight.

JJ

That snake was seen on Google. I've never seen a snake in Penasco. I was simply looking for something that fit what JimMc was describing with "Mexico."

And I don't chop snake's heads off, either. Although that's a common reaction from nearly everyone. "GET THE SHOVEL!!!!"

 

[Jungle Jim]

Stu............

There really aren't many snakes around Penasco proper, it's just too salty and lacks natural prey animals for the bigger ones.

I did see a large Red Racer on the beach at the end of Sinaloa two years ago. It was making a dash for the Sea across the hot beach sand and went right into the small surf. I rescued it and put it in the shade by those rotting concrete monuments to real estate ripoffs and it took off right back to the surf. Maybe someone released it there or it had a date in San Felipe BC. Last I saw it was swimming out to sea.

I've seen others, mostly Red Racers and Patch-nosed Snakes in the daytime along Bahia San Jorge hunting in the mud dwelling Pickleweed and in the Saltbush just above the high tide zone. There are always lots of lizards in that habitat. Last spring I found the tracks of a large snake that seemed to follow the outgoing tide along Salinas Point. I must have followed it for a half mile then there it was! An adult Western Diamiond Rattlesnake feisty as hell. I tried to shoo him back to the dunes but he was determined to swim out to sea, maybe had a date on Isla San Jorge? The backside of the dunes there is perfect habitat for them, lots thick brush, ground squirrels, wood rats and cottontails.

Now back inland is another thing all together. Once you head east and get past the old Desert Oasis you are in some serious snake country. Just go out there after dark, especially now as fall approaches and it starts cooling off at night, you will certainly see the very common Sidewinder Rattlesnake as well as several smaller sand dwellers as I mentioned above and the common others to include the Sonoran Bull Snake, the Long-nosed Snake, the Desert Glossy Snake and the hefty Wester Diamond Rattlesnake in the bushy washes.

Good hunting! As a matter of fact I'm planning on a nighttime desert run in my Wrangler TJ out that way this Saturday night.

JJ

 

[MIRAMAR]

We had 2 snakes stuck between our screen and sliding glass door in Miramar. I thought they were dead, until they started moving at my husband capturing them. We both didn't realize they were rattlesnakes until after we released them into the dunes behind our house and enlarged the pictures. Next time take pics, enlarge, and make sure they are not poisonous.

 

[brokenwave]

In Cholla backing up to the mountains you will find more than a few side winder rattle snakes.
A couple of years ago in April a local was doing clean up around a house and was bitten by 2 different SW snakes.
Found a den of them and uncovered them which they didn't like.
In 20 years I have only seen 2 rattlers while hiking the trail behind my house at Pinto Point.
They were sunning them selves on the rocks in the early spring.

 

[Jungle Jim]

Ya know Broken...................

I've always thought that the granite rocks at La Cholla would be primo habitat for the nastiest of all north American rattlers, the Mojave Rattlesnake. Although smaller than the Western Diamond Rattlesnake they sport a deadly mix of both hemotoxic and neurotoxic venom with the intent of rendering their prey immediately helpless then begin the digestion process inside the victim while the snake waits safely nearby. All of the local desert mountain ranges are loaded with them. I even found one a few years back in the dunes west of Yuma where only a Sidewinder would be expected. It would be very unlikely for a Sidewinder to be up in those rocks as their standard mode of transportation is pushing against soft dune sand of which Competition Hill would be perfect and most of the rest of rocky La Cholla would not.

Back to the Tarantula issue..........

The large Tarantulas that we see in the fall are ALL fully grown adult males out searching for a one time only romantic experience. Upon reaching adult age they leave the safety and comfort of their burrows that they have lived in since juvenile spiderhood which might have been ten or twelve years. They wait until the summer heat subsides then go wandering. They are looking for adult females that will never leaver their burrow and may live as long as thirty years! If the female accepts and invites him in they get lovey dovey for a few days, do the sexy thing then she EATS HIM! That juicy meal will provide nutrition for her several hundred soon to be produced eggs. The tiny spiderlings will emerge from the safety of mom's burrow then seek out a small hole or crevice in the ground where it will continually enlarge as it grows until it might be two inches in diameter and fifteen or twenty inches deep. Our Tarantulas are known as "sit and wait" predators. They never venture more than a foot or so from the safety of their burrow. They capture their prey by laying out an array of silk trip lines in all directions around the burrow. The trip lines come together on the edge of the burrow and the spider patiently waits with it's front legs touching the silk lines. When something comes in contact with any silk strand in the silk array the spider can instantly determine if it is a cricket or a blundering Desert Tortoise. If the catch seems right the spider rushes out to the exact spot on the silk array and by sheer might overpowers the prey with it's strong legs and huge killing fangs. Like lighting, it drags the victim back to the burrow and down it goes. Those males that we see wandering in the fall have no reason to hunt or eat as their only remaining function in life is to reproduce and offer sustenance to the soon to arrive offspring.

I've kept a few over the years, offered them grasshoppers and crickets which they sometimes eat, but always wear themselves out trying to escape and die. Best to just leave them alone. The Tarantula Hawk Wasp has no interest in the adult males, only the fat juice females that think they are safe down below.

Some advice......do not ever touch the back of a male desert tarantula, don't ever let your dog sniff at a male desert tarantula, you will regret it! That my friends is another story.

JJ

 

[MIRAMAR]

Also I heard if you have crickets, you'll have scorpions- they are their favs.

 

[dirtsurfer]

Ya know Broken...................

I've always thought that the granite rocks at La Cholla would be primo habitat for the nastiest of all north American rattlers, the Mojave Rattlesnake. Although smaller than the Western Diamond Rattlesnake they sport a deadly mix of both hemotoxic and neurotoxic venom with the intent of rendering their prey immediately helpless then begin the digestion process inside the victim while the snake waits safely nearby. All of the local desert mountain ranges are loaded with them. I even found one a few years back in the dunes west of Yuma where only a Sidewinder would be expected. It would be very unlikely for a Sidewinder to be up in those rocks as their standard mode of transportation is pushing against soft dune sand of which Competition Hill would be perfect and most of the rest of rocky La Cholla would not.

Back to the Tarantula issue..........

The large Tarantulas that we see in the fall are ALL fully grown adult males out searching for a one time only romantic experience. Upon reaching adult age they leave the safety and comfort of their burrows that they have lived in since juvenile spiderhood which might have been ten or twelve years. They wait until the summer heat subsides then go wandering. They are looking for adult females that will never leaver their burrow and may live as long as thirty years! If the female accepts and invites him in they get lovey dovey for a few days, do the sexy thing then she EATS HIM! That juicy meal will provide nutrition for her several hundred soon to be produced eggs. The tiny spiderlings will emerge from the safety of mom's burrow then seek out a small hole or crevice in the ground where it will continually enlarge as it grows until it might be two inches in diameter and fifteen or twenty inches deep. Our Tarantulas are known as "sit and wait" predators. They never venture more than a foot or so from the safety of their burrow. They capture their prey by laying out an array of silk trip lines in all directions around the burrow. The trip lines come together on the edge of the burrow and the spider patiently waits with it's front legs touching the silk lines. When something comes in contact with any silk strand in the silk array the spider can instantly determine if it is a cricket or a blundering Desert Tortoise. If the catch seems right the spider rushes out to the exact spot on the silk array and by sheer might overpowers the prey with it's strong legs and huge killing fangs. Like lighting, it drags the victim back to the burrow and down it goes. Those males that we see wandering in the fall have no reason to hunt or eat as their only remaining function in life is to reproduce and offer sustenance to the soon to arrive offspring.

I've kept a few over the years, offered them grasshoppers and crickets which they sometimes eat, but always wear themselves out trying to escape and die. Best to just leave them alone. The Tarantula Hawk Wasp has no interest in the adult males, only the fat juice females that think they are safe down below.

Some advice......do not ever touch the back of a male desert tarantula, don't ever let your dog sniff at a male desert tarantula, you will regret it! That my friends is another story.

JJ

This romantic description not to different from humans.

 

[dirtsurfer]

This romantic description not to different from humans.

How big were these? A few years back my housecleaner "saved " me one in a baggie on my counter for my return visit. Biggest scorpion I have ever seen, at least 4 " long. Definitely a different species than we see in the valley. She called it a Sand Scorpion

Most of these scorps wer 2.5-4 inches long. We were pretty shocked as to the high number and large sizes.