The Vinegaroon Sprays Acid to Foil Its Foes | Deep Look

The vinegaroon – also known as a whip scorpion – looks like a Frankenstein creation of monster body parts. But unlike true scorpions, it doesn’t use venom to defend itself from predators. Instead, it aims its tail at their face and sprays a blast of acid that reeks of – you guessed it – vinegar. Only this weaponized vinegar is 16 times stronger than what’s in your salad. SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look! ​ Please join our community on Patreon! ​ DEEP LOOK is an ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. — Distant relatives of scorpions and spiders – vinegaroons have evolved a unique form of defense. If you bother them, the worst you might experience as a large mammal with eyes, would be an irritating blast of strong vinegar-smelling acid in your face. When under threat from predators – mostly foraging night hunters like coyotes, skunks and lizards – it will spray a solution of acetic acid from two glands just above the base of its tail. This spray is made up of about 85% acetic acid (the primary component of vinegar) and about 15% caprylic acid (another slightly unpleasant-smelling acid). It is able to aim the spray in any direction with its tail, and can shoot up to 5 times before it needs to replenish the fluids. The tail also bristles with tiny hairs that serve to help the animal sense vibrations in the air, and pick up chemical traces of other members of the species, as well as prey. __ – What’s the difference between a vinegaroon (aka whip scorpion) and a scorpion? Although they are both arachnids, a vinegaroon is not a scorpion. Vinegaroons are sometimes referred to as whip scorpions, with a skinny whiplike tail instead of scorpions’ typical segmented tail with a stinger. Unlike true scorpions, vinegaroons don’t sting or produce venom. – What do vinegaroons eat? Their diets consist of a variety of small invertebrates – including millipedes, crickets, roaches, scorpions and mealworms. Vinegaroons lead solitary lives, and may even cannibalize other smaller vinegaroons. – Where do vinegaroons live? There are over 100 species of vinegaroons worldwide, found in tropical and subtropical areas in North America, South America, Asia and Africa. The species we feature in our episode is the Giant vinegaroon (Mastigoproctus giganteus), which lives in the southern US and Mexico. The Giant vinegaroon has recently been reclassified and subdivided further into seven separate species. --- Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science: --- More great Deep Look episodes: Scorpions Are Predators With a Sensitive Side | Deep Look Stinging Scorpion vs. Pain-Defying Mouse | Deep Look --- Shoutout! 🏆Congratulations🏆 to the following fans on our Deep Look Community Tab for correctly answering our Community Tab GIF challenge! Feline Vegan Guido Visioni RiverTrash The Pied Piper Jiji --- Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10 per month)! Jessica Chris B Emrick Burt Humburg David Deshpande Karen Reynolds Allison & Maka Masuda Daisuke Goto Adam Kurtz Wild Turkey Tianxing Wang Companion Cube Josh Kuroda Mark Jobes Blanca Vides Supernovabetty Kevin Judge Jana Brenning Anastasia Grinkevic Roberta K Wright monoirre Titania Juang Aurora KW Syniurge El Samuels Carrie Mukaida Jellyman Scott Faunce Cristen Rasmussen Kristy Freeman Nicky O. rafael pirondi Mehdi Cindy McGill Kelly Hong SueEllen McCann Noreen Herrington Sonia Tanlimco Laurel Przybylski Caitlin McDonough Misia Clive Nicolette Ray Louis O'Neill 吳怡彰 Shelley Pearson Cranshaw Levi Cai Jeremiah Sullivan Delphine Tseng kenneth nguyen ! Shonara Rivas Joshua Murallon Robertson Silvan TierZoo Elizabeth Ann Ditz Wade Tregaskis --- Follow KQED Science and Deep Look: Instagram: ​ Twitter: ​ — Photo of vinegaroon by Uno_Mas_Bajo_El_Sol/ --- About KQED KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, California, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media. Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, the largest science and environment reporting unit in California. KQED Science is supported by the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED. #vinegaroon #whipscorpion #deeplook