Striped bark scorpion

Dry grasslands, scrub, woodlands, and human structures across the south-central United States and northern Mexico. It shelters under bark, stones, debris, and boards.

Predatory; primarily eats crickets, cockroaches, spiders, and other small arthropods. It grasps prey with pincers and injects venom with its stinger.

Nocturnal and secretive, often hiding in crevices during daylight. Females give birth to live young, which ride on the mother’s back until their first molt.

Its sting is painful but usually medically minor in healthy adults; severe reactions are uncommon. It helps control pest and other arthropod populations.