Not A Pleasant Surprise

   That's not a movie prop or plastic model. That's a 20 cm (8-inch) Emperor scorpion, and a woman had a very unpleasant surprise when she found it in her bed. No, she doesn't live in any desert, or in a "hot climate" zone. She lives in Ontario, a province not known to be a habitat for scorpions.
   So, how did this monster, complete with stinger, get into her apartment? Apparently, it escaped from a neigbour's home and somehow got into her bedroom. She called police, and they arrived with a shovel to scoop up the arachnid and take it to a safe haven. No, they did not destroy it.
   A quick search shows this particular species, while large, is not relatively poisonous. What I managed to glean suggests the sting is somewhat akin to a bee or wasp sting. I still wouldn't like to get zapped by one though.
   And I'm willing to bet the woman in question, who was not hurt, will be checking her bed very carefully for a long time to come.

TTFN