In the column I wrote for October 16 edition, I described two inoffensive arachnids: the vinegaroon and the tarantula, either of which you might easily find creeping across your dining room floor if you happen to live in Mexico.
Below I will add a few more innocent creatures which I never came across as a boy growing up in Milwaukee.
The tailless whip scorpion
Also known as tendarapo, cancle, araña látigo, limpia casas.
Talk about a totally misnamed creature! This is not a whip scorpion (vinegaroon) without a tail, nor is it a scorpion of any sort. No, this is a kind of arachnid called an amblypygid, which is completely non-poisonous and—precisely because of this—is extremely timid. It’s also nocturnal, so if you ever see one at all, it will most likely be in the beam of your flashlight while wandering about at night in a jungle ... or at any time at all inside a cave.
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