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Idaho Matters

Hunting for scorpions in the Idaho desert

A new hobby has adventurers armed with black lights and overturning rocks in the middle of the night - all in the pursuit of scorpions.

Broadcast on:
07 Nov 2022

The northern scorpion (Paruroctonus boreus) is the most widespread and smallest scorpion in Idaho, reaching a length of up to two inches.
The northern scorpion (Paruroctonus boreus) is the most widespread and smallest scorpion in Idaho, reaching a length of up to two inches.( Greg Lasley on iNaturalist.org)

Late at night, in places like Idaho's Bruneau Sand Dunes, adventurers armed with black lights wander around - overturning rocks and peeking into cracks in the dirt.

They’re looking for scorpions, which glow in the dark and this activity is a growing hobby in places like Idaho.

Adare Evans, Aquatic Education State Coordinator with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and writer for Wildlife Express, joins Idaho Matters to tell us more about this hobby and scorpions in Idaho.