Carnivorous Cravings
Deep in the bowels(and running along the surface) of the Sonoran Desert lurks a bloodthirsty, predatory killer. This carnivorous beast can hunt, kill and devour prey twice his own size. He can even turn the most deadly venom in the world into a painkiller. Yes, it’s true. Who is this fearsome creature, you ask? What kind of loathsome maniac is running loose out there in the Sonoran Desert? A werewolf. A werewolf mouse.
Lunacy
Laugh if you must. But you will not be laughing after you witness this cold-blooded (actually warm) fiend, wrangle a scorpion, slay him, then calmly savor every juicy morsel. It’s what happens next that chills the blood on a warm desert night. This miniature Mussolini, venomous scorpion juice trickling from his mouth, throws back his head and howls at the moon in gluttonous glee. You heard me. He howls like a wolf. I mean, if there was one good reason to come to Phoenix, finding out about this mouse was it. It’s crazy.
The venom from Centruroides, Bark Scorpions, causes muscle contractions and respiratory failure in humans. But for this mouse, the venom is a painkiller! Maybe he’s howling because he just got his fix, and he’s high. He also goes by the Southern Grasshopper Mouse and is indigenous to the American southwest. He is all ours.
Hunting Scorpions in the Sonoran Desert
Maureen volunteered to be our official scorpion counter. (She is a Scorpion, too, astrologically speaking). We found 46 scorpions that night. I wonder how many he can catch in one night?
This is a Bark Scorpion. I used my camera flash for this photo. We were finding them with black lights. Mark is a brave park ranger.
This is not a great shot of a scorpion. It was hard to do. They don’t stick around long once you find them.
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