Help needed identifying unknown lobster / scorpion like creature

I live in west central Scotland, UK and we have a holiday flat on the Isle of Cumbrae, just off Scotlands west coast.
Whilst on the island, a few years ago, I saw a strange creature, and I'd like the help of the crypto followers here in identifying it if possible.
It looked a lot like a large scorpion, or lobster type of shape, but I don't specifically remember it having particularly large claws or a stinger. It did have several legs, and it moved very quickly, like a scorpion.
The trouble is that it was big, maybe 25cm long, and I don't think that there are scorpions of that description on the loose here? and I don't think Lobsters can run on land?
The sighting took place in the dead of winter. It was immediately after a large storm, and I was walking along a road-side pavement (sidewalk?) immediately adjacent to the sea.
There was a lot of water and some sand on the road, from the storm. It was windy, very cloudy & grey, and raining lightly.
Something caught my eye, moving towards me on the side of the road a few feet ahead. I stopped and just stared at it as it scuttled past. It was running on several legs (I'd guess about 6 or 8) was a very dark grey colour, and as mentioned earlier, had the general appearance of a scorpion.
I turned round as it went past me, and decided to chase it to get a better look, it was moving faster than I could walk! I had to break into a light jog to keep up, but as soon as I'd managed to get level with it again, it disappeared down a drainage channel in the kerb.
I'm sorry I don't have any photos, The whole sighting lasted just a few seconds, and I must admit to being quite scared of whatever it was.
I guessed that someone local would know what it was, but the first few people I asked looked at me like I was mad! So I gave up asking.
and... before anyone asks... No I was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol!

My question is simply - does anyone know what it could have been?
I'm guessing scorpions don't like cold wet scottish island coastlines?
and that lobsters etc can't run on land?

Is there a crab maybe? which looks scorpion-like?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Freshwater crayfish maybe?

west.scotland.marine.com

Did it look anything like this?

Just guessing here.


David Grouchy

we need a little more info what color was it, you said it looked like a scorpion did it have a tail like one, what was its body shape

sounds like a "windscorpion"

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/402fb780f8df.jpg[/atsimg]

Windscorpions are so named because they seem to move "like the wind."

Other names for windscorpions include camelspiders, sunscorpions, and sunspiders,

Windscorpions are not venomous but they can bite humans and the wound may become infected.

Windscorpions are in the order Solifugae, class Arachnida, phylum Arthropoda. Their relatives include true spiders, true scorpions, ticks, and mites.

these are mostly found in the US, along the rocky mountains.

I found one in my kitchen once...freaked me out....i want to the library and combed through bug books, cause i thought i had discovered a new bug

Just a WAG here, but take a look at google images and look at hermit crab without a shell
I know they can move really fast when scared. And they come in all colors and can get pretty large
im typing on a phone so I don't know how to post pictures.

reply to post by davidgrouchy


Nope, it was dark grey in colour.
Legs were shorter and heavier.
It looked quite scary, just like a large scorpion.

Body was lifted off the ground by it's (fast moving) legs.
It's movement was fast, it sort of "trotted" or scuttled along.

Thanks for trying tho'!

reply to post by nikkibee


Hi Nikki,
As I mentioned in the OP - it was Dark Grey in colour.
It had quite a long slim body shape, scuttling along on 6 or 8 fairly short but heavily built legs.
I don't have much more of a description for you, as it happened so fast.

Thanks for looking!

reply to post by BadBoYeed


Hi BadBo!

That's a scary looking critter there!
But not like mine I'm afraid.

This one had a sturdier appearance. Heavier legs in comparison with body. Less prominent head.

I wish I could have taken a photo, but alas...

reply to post by Nomadmonkey


Hi Nomad!

I've just checked out hermit crab videos, with and without shells! and it's not a bad shout.
The overall look was similar, but they move differently, and the hermits legs seem to sort of fan out in a circular shape.
The creature I saw was kind of more rectangular in overall shape if that makes sense?
The (knee) joints in the legs formed a straight line down each side, and it moved swiftly straight forward, rather than "crabbing" sideways like a hermit.

Closest creature yet though! Thanks for suggesting!

Hi...
Is it possible the critter you came in contact with could have been one of these?

This is a tail less Whip Scorpion:
www.youtube.com...

Or

This is a Vinagaroon (another type of whip scorpion)
www.youtube.com...

Both these arachnids are from Africa...but many people like to keep them as pets.
Possibly the critter you saw may have been an escapee from someones terrarium habitat.

Then ya never kin...could be a new species native to your island.

Hope that helped...

reply to post by Holly N.R.A.



I don't think a creature from Africa would survive too well in scotland!

reply to post by Holly N.R.A.


Thanks Holly,
It's definitely not the 1st one (whip scorpion), the shape, stance and build are all wrong.
2nd one is slightly closer, the body shape looks similar (and I think mine had "plates" on the body like that) but the legs are wrong unfortunately. They came straight out from the body (parallel to the road) on my creature and were quite short and "stocky" before bending at right angles straight down to the ground. The "knees" formed a quite straight line down each side, giving it a kind of rectangular outline when viewed from above.

Thanks for trying!

My hunch is that it's most likely a sea creature, because I saw it right next to the sea (on a seaside road) immediately after a big storm had blown over.
Or maybe something that lives in the sewer system?? that was washed out by all the rain and sea water?
It did run down into a drainage (rain channel?) in the kerb at the side of the road.
My problem is that it moved really fast! It looked very comfortable on land, and most sea creatures seem to struggle on land.
It almost looked mechanical, the way it moved.

maybe A living trilobite?

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/00d26a3e6585.jpg[/atsimg]

or a Triop perhaps

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d3a8ce512db3.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by HollowJacket


Dude you read my mind. I was thinking isopods from the OP's description. Giant sea roach/lobster mix, is there any creature more gross?

I first came across these guys while watching Planet Earth. Sure stuck in my mind. Totally creepy creatures. Such a cool world we live on with creatures like that around. It's too bad we are mucking it all up.

reply to post by TheLoony


Hi TheLoony!

That is a seriously creepy creature there! but unfortunately not a match for my sighting.

The body on mine was nowhere near so rounded and "turtle-shell" like, it was much longer/slimmer, and the legs - although similarly proportioned and armoured, seemed to come horizontally out from the main body, then down from the "knee" joint at right angles.

The Body didn't dominate the overall look of my creature like these ones do. Mine was proportioned much more like a scorpion, where the legs make up a large part of the overall "look" of the thing.

Is there another relative of these, with slimmer/longer body perhaps?

Oh, and can they run whilst out of water?

Thanks, so much for trying to help identify this for me!

Hello! I don't know much about strange animals or whatever, so I'm just throwing a guess here... was this the guy you saw?



Don't know if it occurs where you live, but by your description I thought this could be what you saw.

is this it

reply to post by Raven_Heart


Hi Raven,
Thanks for that one! It is certainly not dis-similar to what I saw, but I'm not sure it's quite close enough.
The colouring is certainly good.
and the overall look was similar, but I think the body was more armoured and legs more uniformly sized on mine.
That looks like some pretty hot/dry terrain too, and it was close to freezing and soaking wet here at the time of the sighting, so I'm not so sure, but thanks for the pic!