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| Sign low to the ground so that dogs and cats can read it |
Scorpions,
spiders, ssssnakes and a lonely crocodile – these are some of the
creepy crawlies that call Isla Mujeres home.
A
recent post on a community information Facebook page piqued our
interest.
A tourist was aghast at finding a scorpion in a house that
they were renting on Isla. The family left the island because they
were terrified of scorpions. Someone quipped that maybe they should
go back north if they wanted to avoid nasty critters. Well, unless
you are in the far-frozen north, up near where Santa Claus lives,
that won't work either.
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| Canadian scorpions are smaller than this one |
Scorpions are found in every country from
the tip of South America to central British Columbia, Canada, from
Australia north to France, Spain, and across all of Europe and China.
There are more countries where they live than countries where
they don't live.
You can run, but you can't hide.
 |
| Black Widow & Brown Recluse spiders |
And
spiders, they
live in almost every
habitat on the earth.
The only places where there are no spiders are the north and south
polar regions, the tops of the highest mountains and in the oceans.
A few
spider species have even adapted to living in the rock and coral
crevices of the intertidal zone.
 |
| A Scorpion-hunting snake, looks like those on Isla |
Well then, what
about snakes? The 2900 species of snakes are found throughout the
world except for Antarctica, plus the islands of Greenland, Ireland,
Iceland and New Zealand. They live in forests, prairies,
grasslands, and several species live in lakes, rivers and along the
ocean shorelines. The two types of snakes that I have heard about
on Isla are both non-poisonous, including a native boa constrictor
that typically is not a concern to humans – small pets maybe, but
not people.
 |
| Scorpion habitat - National Geographic map |
As
for your chances of dying from a bite or sting? According to the
internet statistics for just the USA, out of 140,000 reported snake
bites per year, about 5 people die.
Other stats include about 11
people a year die from scorpion stings, and one or two a year from
spiders. The
death rate for car crashes, on the other hand, is 3297 people per day
in the USA.
 |
| Common sign on golf courses in southern BC Canada |
For
the most part, these critters are more afraid of you than you are of them.
They will scoot, slither and crawl away to avoid confrontation with
predators and humans. Don't get me wrong, some of these guys can be
downright nasty if they bite or sting, especially if you are
allergic to their toxins. If you do have a close encounter of the
bad kind and are having an adverse reaction, you should get to a
medical clinic as soon as possible. Knowing what bit you will be a
big help in getting the proper treatment.
So, how can
you avoid these bad guys? If we are working outside, we
always try to wear a pair of gloves and never put our hands into
crevices where we can't see what we are touching - that includes gopher holes on golf courses!
 |
| Lonely 14-foot crocodile escaped for 1 day |
Before putting on
a pair of shoes, we give them a vigorous shake to dislodge unwanted
visitors. Give them some warning that you are headed their way, and they
will scurry off in the opposite direction.
Usually, we find a few scorpions in our courtyard every year.
After my first encounter with a scorpion in southern France,
I perfected a live-capture method.
I place a wide-mouthed
drinking glass over the critter, and then slip a piece of paper or
thin cardboard underneath. This traps the scorpion or spider inside
the glass. I then walk over to an empty lot and set it free. Killing
them just doesn't work for me.
 |
| A crowd of onlookers watching an escaped crocodile |
Stepping on a
nest of fire ants – now that can be very unpleasant. These tiny guys are aggressive and like to build nests underground. The entrances are usually an inch or two across and hard to see until you step on it. Then look out! The soldiers will swarm your
legs, biting as they travel upwards. I am allergic to their venom and must apply ice packs, plus take an antihistamine as soon as
possible. The bites take about two weeks to disappear.
 |
| Crocodile captured and returned to its habitat |
But what about
that lonely crocodile, you ask? He (or is it a she?) lives in the
swampy lake at the old Pirate Mundaca Hacienda located in the middle
of the island. Two years ago, during a particularly rainy October, it
made a break for freedom, scooting down the road past the big church,
right on by the new cemetery, and into the ocean.
Free at last!
Except someone reported its breakout. Soon there was a gaggle of
curious people, the police, the marines toting big guns, and a boatload of fishermen chasing the reptile while it swam towards Playa
Norte and a buffet of tasty pale tourists. It swam so quickly past
our house that I couldn't get a decent photo, so I hopped into the golf
cart and drove ahead of the swarm of onlookers. Eventually, the
crocodile was netted in the bay near Centro and returned to the lake
at the hacienda. Occasionally, I wonder what exactly that
crocodile feeds on, all by itself in that not-overly large lake?
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| Crocodile habitat at the Pirate Mundaca Hacienda |
So you see, we
do have lots of interesting and somewhat dangerous things living on
Isla, but changing your vacation plans just to avoid the creepy
crawlies seems like an overreaction.
Come back! Give us another
chance, you'll love it here.
Hasta
luego,
Lawrie, Lynda, Sparky, and Thomas
~
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