Species Insects & ArthropodsTailless Whip Scorpion

Tailless Whip Scorpion

Paraphrynus mexicanus

RareInsect & Arthropod
Illustration of Tailless Whip Scorpion (Paraphrynus mexicanus)

The Tailless Whip Scorpion is a flat, spidery arachnid with enormously long front legs used as sensory whips — sometimes reaching 10 inches — and powerful, hook-like pedipalps for seizing prey. Despite its alarming appearance it is completely harmless and nonvenomous. It is found in humid cave entrances and tropical forests in southern Texas and the Southwest.

Habitat
Cave entrances, rock crevices, and tropical forests in southern Texas and Mexico border region
Diet
Adults: crickets, cockroaches, and other large insects seized with pedipalps
How common
Rare

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