Scorpion

Description:

This scorpion was in my house at night. Unlike the more common jet-black large scorpion I frequently encounter here, this one was slender and tan with speckled brown markings and the two end segments of its slim tail were black. The body was about 1½" long, and the tail, if uncoiled, would probably be about 2" long. My guess would be Centruroides.

Habitat:

This may be a bark scorpion, but as it was in the house I can't really define its habitat very knowledgeably. However, the house is in a subtropical Belize rain forest, so that might help.

Notes:

I always catch and release the scorpions, knowing the vital role they play in the forest ecology. However, I make a point of releasing them in the brush on the far side of a gravel road that passes the house, hoping they won't want to travel across twenty feet of exposed dirt and rocks to return to the house.