Vinegaroon
Damon variegatus
About the Vinegaroon
Class: Arachnida
Order: Uropygi
Family: Thelyphonidae
Genus: Damon
Species: variegatus
Measuring about 1 to 3 inches long, the vinegaroon is a medium-sized arthropod with two large claws. Found throughout the southern and southwestern United States, the vinegaroon is known as the whip scorpion, but it's more closely related to spiders. Although it's an arachnid, it walks on only six legs, using its two front legs more like antennae to feel out the local environment. Vinegaroons have been feeling their way around the earth for a long, long time—and fossil records show they haven’t changed a bit in at least 300 million years!
