LeBron James will take time to forget his latest visit to Arizona, where the Lakers are staying before taking on the Suns at the Footprint Center in Phoenix in their final preseason game before tip-off next Tuesday. It wasn’t basketball or sports related, but he was scared to death when he encountered a venomous scorpion that nearly stung him.
The forward wanted to share what happened on his social networks by posting a video with the small but dangerous intruder who walked through his bathroom and headed straight for him while he was finishing his shower.
And he accompanied the images with a more relaxed message after the initial scare: “It tried to bite me when I was in the shower. Luckily, I was walking with my head down and saw it crawling away. Welcome to Arizona,” LeBron wrote.
LeBron did not specify whether or not he had killed the predatory arachnid arthropod, commonly known as a scorpion.
But the truth is that the scare could have ended badly because the species that crossed his path, the bark scorpion, is the most venomous in North America and is commonly found in homes throughout the United States, particularly in Arizona.
It is typically 2.5 to 3.8 centimeters long
The Arizona bark scorpion is typically 2.5 to 3.8 centimeters long. However, color is not a reliable way to identify them, as it can vary. One unique characteristic is their ability to glow bright green under ultraviolet light.
Scorpions glow due to a natural substance in their exoskeleton, which makes ultraviolet lights useful for detecting them in the dark.
It is not strange that LeBron came across one of them in his bathroom, since scorpions in general and the striped bark scorpion in particular are attracted to dark and damp places and tend to hide in damp towels, pool areas, bathrooms, laundry rooms, riverbanks, streams and other waterways. T
hey are most active at night and unfortunately encounters with people are common, especially in areas where they proliferate by finding favorable habitats, as is the case in Arizona.
They have the ability to climb on almost any surface except clean plastic or glass, so they can often be seen on ceilings, cement walls or hiding in clothing and food storage areas.
In addition, they are particularly dangerous because they can hide in unexpected places, such as clothes lying on the floor.
Visual disturbances, difficulty swallowing and respiratory problems
Adults who are stung by a striped bark scorpion usually experience local pain and burning without significant swelling or redness.
Numbness and tingling may spread throughout the body and some people may experience visual disturbances or difficulty swallowing.
In rare cases, respiratory problems leading to cardiac arrest may occur.
