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27
Nov
Scorpion found in Masham home
A baby scorpion was found in a Masham home this week.
Lesley Marsden took to Facebook group Masham Buzz on Monday (November 25) after discovering the unexpected visitor in her kitchen.
She posted a photo of the scorpion and added:
Found this in my kitchen. Who should I ring?
Ms Marsden yesterday gave an update on her new roommate, saying she took it to aquatic pet shop Aquatic Finatic in Northallerton.
The Stray Ferret contacted Aquatic Finatic to find out more.
An employee, named Megan, confirmed a woman had brought a scorpion into the the shop yesterday (November 26).
Megan told us the scorpion is a baby – around 5cm in length – and is most likely an Asian Forest Scorpion.
Asian Forest Scorpions are not native to the UK and are typically found across southeast Asia.
Megan said:
It has a small tail and big claws. The bigger the claws the less venomous the scorpion.
We thought it could either be an Asian Forest Scorpion or a Flat Rock Scorpion, but we sell Asian Forest Scorpions, and it looks very like the ones we stock, so we’re happy to say it is most likely that.
Megan described the scorpion as harmless, adding:
It’s around 5cm now. It will probably grow to be about 12cm. We will be keeping him as a staff pet and will take him on our educational sessions that we provide for schools.
Megan and the team have named the scorpion Edward Scissor Hands.
The Aquatic Finatic team is unsure how Edward Scissor Hands made his way to rural Masham, but Ms Marsden said online:
It either came in a bag of bananas from Aldi on Thursday or it's been living under my fridge for at least a month because that was the last time I received anything from abroad. I'll definitely be checking the packaging next time.
Shein scorpion
BBC News last month reported a University of Bristol student discovered a scorpion in her Shein parcel.
Shein is a fast-fashion manufacturer based in China.
A spokesperson for the National Centre for Reptile Welfare said the scorpion was an Olivierus Martensii, otherwise known as a Chinese scorpion.
"Its sting is medically significant...potentially life threatening but an average adult would just have a really bad day", the spokesperson said.
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