Nevada: Want to hunt scorpions at night? Here’s how to find them
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Scorpion hunting is something you shouldn’t do on your own. For one thing, it’s dangerous. For another, you could learn a lot more from naturalists at two Nevada wildlife refuges who will be taking visitors to see the desert critters this month.
Hikes take place Saturday at Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo and Sept. 14 at Moapa Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Moapa. Although you’ve probably never heard of these remote wildlife refuges, they’re less than a two-hour drive from Las Vegas.
Timothy Parker, who oversees environmental education at Pahranagat, says naturalists take small groups at night to show how scorpions adapt to the darkness. Traditional flashlights aren’t allowed; instead, naturalists hand out ultraviolet flashlights to illuminate scorpions in the dark.
And when you find one, it’s strictly “Look, don’t touch.” “The leaders of the hikes may collect them in a jar for display, but, no, we do not touch them for safety reasons,” he writes in an email. Parker says visitors can expect to see Arizona desert scorpions, northern hairy scorpions, bark scorpions and maybe other species.
The night hikes are free, start at 8 p.m. and last about an hour. Email Parker at [email protected] to reserve a spot.
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