Another Western Montana Scorpion Sighting
By angelamontana

Posted: June 20, 2017

Remember the article involving the scorpion that was found in Montana?  (who knew?)  Well, there was another scorpion found in a northside commercial building in Missoula this morning, Tuesday, June 20, 2017.  Apparently, the ones we will see here in Montana are the northern species.

This species is the only scorpion found in Montana. They can be locally common, but are rarely seen unless you are out at night with a flashlight or flipping rocks during the day. Best places to find this species are in southeast Montana along sandstone cliff areas, such as the Rims around Billings or cliffs in the Bighorn Canyon. The species is nocturnal, but may enter warm sheltered places in the cold days of fall to hibernate. The Northern Scorpion is rarely known to sting people. Scorpions hunt and feed on insects and other small prey that they can get their claws around. The sting injects a dose of paralyzing venom similar to that of spiders. (via fieldguide.mt.gov/)
According to the fieldguide (which we don’t know the last time it was updated), there have been 93 sightings and none were in western Montana…which has obviously now changed.  Apparently, they were either brought over here somehow or migrated to Missoula.  Either way, they are here.

Does this mean we can expect a Montana scorpion hunting season?  Probably not, being that they are insects, but you still might want to keep an eye out for these little buggars the same as you do spiders.

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