The former Everything But the Girl musician Ben Watt called in zoological experts after his daughter found a scorpion in their north London home.
The creature is believed to be a yellow-tailed scorpion, a species common on continental Europe and likely to have found its way to the UK in a suitcase, according to London Zoo.
Watt, a DJ on BBC 6 Music, tweeted: “Holy crap! We go away for the day and 16-year-old daughter finds a flippin’ SCORPION in her BEDROOM. In North London!”
He went on to detail how the scorpion was contained within a Tupperware container and then taken to London Zoo. “Allowed through special gate at Zoo with ‘venomous species on board’,” he said. “#Scorpgate: Been backstage at Zoo! Identified as ‘Euroscorpius flavicaudis’ (Euro yellow-tailed). Hitched a ride or poss local population!”
The scorpion, named Sansa by Watt’s daughter Alfie after her favourite Game of Thrones character who “seems gentle but has a bit of a sting”, was taken in by the zoo, where it may go on display at its Biodiversity Underpinning Global Surviving (Bugs) exhibit.
The zoo’s head of invertebrates, Dave Clarke, said that neither Watt nor his daughter were at risk from the arthropod: “Scorpions are the type of invertebrate that tend to cause alarm when found; people automatically fear highly venomous species that are native to much warmer continents and appear as threats in blockbuster films,” he said.
“Although yellow-tailed scorpions are capable of stinging, it’s very unusual for them to do so. Their sting is also innocuous, causing hardly any reaction unless a person is specifically allergic to it.”
There is a colony of yellow-tailed scorpions on the Isle of Sheppey off the northern coast of Kent but Clarke said it may have hitched a ride in a bag or suitcase from the continent, where they are extremely common.
Despite the reassurance offered by London Zoo about the scorpion’s lack of venom, Watt, who is also an author and founder of independent dance record label, Buzzin’ Fly, revealed the discovery was still playing on his mind.
“Trying to rehearse for upcoming shows this week, but forgetting lyrics and thinking about scorpions,” he tweeted. “Best fact learned today: Scorpions have an anus at the end of their tail. [Digests information again] Scorpions have an … I WANT ONE!”
