Creatures that shoot acid from tails emerge after Texas summer rains. What are they?

Summer rains in Texas push these black creatures from their burrows “in search of food and love,” experts say.

Big Bend National Park in Texas shared a photo Wednesday of a vinegaroon recently spotted near a campground. If you’re “lucky” enough to see one, just don’t annoy them and you’ll be fine, experts say.

Sometimes called whip scorpions — though they’re not scorpions — they can shoot a “well-aimed” spray of 85% acetic acid from the base of their tail for protection, the park says. Household vinegar is 5-8% acetic acid by volume.

Additionally, they pinch with “heavy mouthparts,” the park says. Vinegaroons hunt scorpions, millipedes, crickets and cockroaches by feeling for vibrations with their long front legs. That’s because they’re nocturnal and don’t see well.

Overall, the approximately 3-inch vinegaroon is a “relatively benign” creature, the park says. They’re also considered non-poisonous, though they can pinch, according to the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension.

“If you’re lucky enough to see one, look closely,” Big Bend National Park says. “If it’s a female, she may be carrying her hatchlings on her back.”

In Texas, vinegaroons are commonly in found in the Trans-Pecos region, but they’ve been spotted in South Texas and as far north as the Panhandle, according to the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension.

This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Creatures that shoot acid from tails emerge after Texas summer rains. What are they?."