The Vinegaroon: A Salad with Frankenstein

The Vinegaroon is the most terrifying looking amalgam of body parts from different scary creatures that I’ve ever had the pleasure of walking up on in the dark. It’s not really scary to me, I love this fascinating animal, but its mere picture on my smart phone has been enough to cause girls to shriek and jump back. On the same day that God created the Duck-billed Platypus, he took took left over bits from a Scorpion, Crab, and El Chupacabra to create the sinister looking Vinegaroon, or Giant Whip Scorpion (Mastigoproctus giganteus). With a total length greater than 4″, jagged armor, crushing pedipalps (claws), and wiry probing appendages, the Vinegaroon indeed looks equipped to either maim or invade your body. In reality, it’s harmless and beneficial to humans.

But its ominous appearance isn’t even the most eccentric feature of this cryptic beast. When I happened upon this roving arthropod I knew what it was, but knew nothing about it. At most I thought it had a cool sounding, but inexplicable name. “Vinegaroon”- it sounds like a pirate ship or something. After halting the animal to photograph it, my nose was permeated by the pungent and slightly stinging smell of vinegar. Now I understood the name. The Vinegaroon sprays acetic acid from glands at the base of its filamentous tail. In other words, it shoots concentrated vinegar when confronted, which is intended to repel attackers with the sour smell and taste. While an animal that carries around a chemistry lab in its abdomen is no doubt an amazing feat of nature, it still seems like a feeble defense that would only deter the laziest of predators. I mean, if I was a hungry Racoon and knew I’d encounter a Vinegaroon, I’d probably bring along a little bottle of olive oil and some croutons. But who am I to question natural selection; if a trait proves useless, evolutionary pressure makes it disappear.