After finding a scorpion in Morocco, one man took to Reddit's r/whatsthisbug forum.
Members of the community warned that the original poster should be careful as it appeared to be a venomous species.
Here's what to know
Because the original poster photographed the animal on his hand, commenters offered urgent warnings.
"Likely to be the Moroccan fat-tailed scorpion (Androctonus mauritanicus), which is a highly venomous species," one wrote. "You are taking an extreme risk handling these types of scorpions."
Another added: "That's a black fat-tail scorpion, Androctonus bicolor. Its venom is medically significant and poses risk of death. You're an idiot."
A third joked, "If it wasn't for people like this, we wouldn't know they were venomous." Someone else said: "The very fat tail suggests an Androctonus species, of which some are in the region. This is the kind of scorpion that will put you in the ground without medical treatment."
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A moderator added: "PSA to the thread in general: 'Small claws, fat tail = more venomous' is an oversimplification that is not always true."
And someone else wrote: "Very unlikely that you don't know this could hurt you. So I can only guess you think doing this risky thing makes you look cool. To a few eight-year-old boys, yes. To anyone else, no."
Where can I learn more?
Other encounters with venomous animals have raised similar concerns.
• In South Africa, police found 150 live venomous scorpions in a man's suitcase.
• An Arkansas family said Reddit's fast cottonmouth identification may have saved their 13-year-old dog's life.
• A U.K. man spent four days in a coma after moving a spider from his bed.
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