Chelicerate in Harry Potter

Did you see the Harry Potter movie that's out now?

Did you curl up in a ball of terror when that buglike THING showed up and ran all over everyone's head in the scene with Mad-Eye Mooney?

Did you know that, while digital and animated, that thing is a Real Creature?

And, what's more, a chelicerate. All hail the Amblypgid, or tailless whip scorpion. Fuckin TERRIfying.



photo of amblypygid, Paraphrynus laevifrons: Paraphrynus laevifrons from Carara, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Copyright 2003 by Carlos Viquez. Posted at American Arachnology.

More about amblypgids, tailless whip scorpions:

- Wikipedia

- A very nice sharp (but small) shot of one from the Saint Louis Zoo website

More about Whip Scorpions:

- A tale about keeping a "Vinegaroon," or giant whip scorpion, as a pet.

- More from the The British Tarantula Society Journal.