Scorp Hunt!

Prior to exploring Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument near the Mexican border, #UFDesertBio2018 spent a night in Gila Bend, Arizona. Norm and Cody gathered us up not too long after our hotel arrival and drove us to Sonoran Desert National Monument. There, we took some of our first photos of saguaro cacti as the sun set.
The group had unsuccessfully tried to hunt for scorpions during our prior evenings in Borrego Springs. Ultraviolet light interacts with a substance within the tough outer cuticle of scorpions and causes them to fluoresce, making them easy to spot... when they are actually present. Equipped with black lights and worried that we may not be granted the opportunity to see a scorp, we continued the search in Gila Bend. I finally found one (cough, first person, cough) and the contrast between the scorpion and the sand under it was surprising. And then the group found another one. And another one. I can safely say that we together were satisfied by our ultimate success. Scorpion hunting is an amazing way to appreciate typically feared, incredibly interesting animals.

Publicado el marzo 25, 2018 09:13 TARDE por taylca