Sun scorpions (Order Solifugae) may look scary, but in fact they are harmless animals. They are found in arid regions worldwide, where they are primarily active at night.

California, USA
Dinothrombium velvet mites are elephants among the acari. These raisin- sized arthropods roam the Sonoran Desert floor after the onset of summer rains.

Tucson, Arizona, USA
Centruroides sculpturatus, the Arizona bark scorpion.

Tucson, Arizona, USA
Centruroides sculpturatus, the Arizona bark scorpion.

Tucson, Arizona, USA
Centruroides sculpturatus, the Arizona bark scorpion.

Tucson, Arizona, USA
Centruroides sculpturatus, the Arizona bark scorpion.

Tucson, Arizona, USA
The nest entrances of the desert leafcutter ant Acromyrmex versicolor are often nearly completely round, appearing like a miniature volcano.

Green Valley, Arizona, USA
Myrmecocystus mexicanus. Honeypot ants have an unusual food storage system.  Some members of each colony act as living receptacles known as "repletes", these ants become engorged with food and hang from the ceilings of chambers deep underground.  

Captive colony at the California Academy of Sciences
A Pogonomyrmex rugosus worker shows off her psammophore, the basket of long hairs on the underside of her head used for carrying sand grains.  This structure enticed Austrian taxonomist Gustav Mayr to name this genus Pogonomyrmex, or "bearded ant".

Tucson, Arizona, USA
Centruroides sculpturatus, the Arizona bark scorpion.

Tucson, Arizona, USA
Centruroides sculpturatus, the Arizona bark scorpion.

Tucson, Arizona, USA
Centruroides sculpturatus, the Arizona bark scorpion.

Tucson, Arizona, USA
See photo in original gallery.
all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013