Rain doesn't just bring floods and flowers. It apparently also awakens creatures that appear to come from the depths of hell.  Big Bend National

Land lobsters from hell are emerging in Big Bend after summer rains

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2021-07-23 00:00:08

Rain doesn't just bring floods and flowers. It apparently also awakens creatures that appear to come from the depths of hell. 

Big Bend National Park in Texas shared a photo this week of a visitor near a campsite: A vinegaroon, a sort of ungodly land lobster that can shoot acid from its tail. 

Vinegaroons are also known as "whip scorpions" and hunt other insects for food. They can also shoot a "well-aimed" spray of 85% acetic acid (or, vinegar, hence the name) from their tails as a defense mechanism. And if they weren't already terrifying enough, they also have large pincers. 

Luckily, you probably won't see any around Houston. Vinegaroons are most commonly found in west Texas but have been spotted in the Panhandle and in south Texas, according to Texas A&M's Field Guide to Common Texas Insects.

If you do happen to be out in the desert and spot a vinegaroon, you're probably going to be fine "unless you happen to annoy them." While they aren't poisonous, they can still pinch.

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