Vinegaroons Life Cycle Pest or Friend? Social or Solitary? Body Also known as the “Whip Scorpion”, vinegaroons are not really scorpions at all. They are their own special group of arachnids, animals with 8 legs. Although they don’t have any poison, they will spray out acid to protect themselves. The acid smells like vinegar, and can sting the eyes of predators. The vinegar smell is where the name “vinegar-oon” comes from. Body Vinegaroons are about 3 inches long. They have eight legs and pinchers in the front that they can use to bite. They also have a thin tail that they use to sense their environment. Insect or Not? Vinegaroons are NOT insects. They have eight legs, which makes them an arachnid. Although the tail may look like a scorpion stinger, they are not scorpions. Life Cycle Vinegaroons grow and molt. That means they shed their skin when it becomes too small. Adults lay eggs. When the babies hatch, they ride on the mothers back until they molt for the first time, then they leave. It takes 4 years for a vinegaroon to become an adult, and they can live 8 years total. Front legs not used for walking Pinching claws like scorpions Tail used for feeling things around it Picture by Richard Lydekker - , Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2018746 Pest or Friend? Vinegaroons eat slugs, worms, and insects. They usually hide in dark places and don’t bother humans, so I’m going with FRIEND, because they eat other pests like cockroaches and crickets. Social or Solitary? Solitary for sure. Vinegaroons are nocturnal. Which means they hunt at night. They spend days hiding in dark burrows mostly alone. My Sources: kids.sandiegozoo.org wikipedia