bevvy-yt:Horrifying! Repulsive! Downright stomach churning… For our daft monkey brains, the
bevvy-yt: Horrifying! Repulsive! Downright stomach churning… For our daft monkey brains, the sight of a the tailless whip scorpion of the order amblypygi certainly isn’t a pleasant one. But fear not! These critters are completely harmless and fascinating. Lacking venom, they pose absolutely no threat to humans. However, arthropods and even the small vertebrates that occupy the leaf litter and fallen logs of the world’s tropics should certainly fear the mantis-like grabbing appendages of this predator. Similar to its other arachnid relatives, including spiders and true scorpions, amblypygi have eight legs. Only six of these are grown for walking though, the anterior pair have become specialised whip-like sensory organs that act as antennae, and are the structures that give these animals their name. Most interestingly, these creatures are among the few arachnids to exhibit social behaviour. A female and her backpack nest of tiny young riding along for the adventure communicate through their antennae-like front legs, although for now the exact purpose of this is a mystery. Perhaps they just enjoy a nice chat? -- source link