Creatures, Myths & Legends

Worker recalls seeing gigantic 10-inch scorpions in Florida

By T.K. Randall
March 8, 2026 ·  48 comments

Image: Indian Black Scorpion (illustrative)
Credit: Renjusplace / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Tales of gargantuan scorpions, both in the United States and elsewhere, have been doing the rounds for years, with some stories detailing arachnids measuring as much as a foot or more in length.

In a recent blog entry, Dr Karl Shuker - a zoologist and science writer with a keen interest in the field of cryptozoology - reports on a detailed correspondence he recently received from a Florida man who claimed to have encountered giant scorpions back in the 1980s.

The man had been working as a hazardous waste specialist at the time and had seen scorpions on a regular basis, particularly while inspecting waste around the Highlands Leather Factory in Sebring.

On one particular occasion, however, he recalled seeing a particularly large specimen - almost a foot in length - quickly scurrying across the floor and out of sight.

Even the largest known species of scorpion in the US (the giant desert hairy scorpion) grows up to around 14cm in length - approximately half the size of this one.

Believing his eyes to be playing tricks on him, the man mentioned the sighting to the factory's owner who promptly took him into a back room to show him something he'd previously caught in a big jar.Incredibly, it turned out to be a scorpion around 10 inches in length - an absolute monster.

Even the largest known scorpion in the world - the giant forest scorpion - is smaller than this.

The factory where this occurred received hides from countries all over the world, so it's possible that these scorpions had hitched a ride from somewhere else.

Their huge size, however, certainly raises some interesting questions.

Could there be a population of giant, exotic scorpions hiding out in North America ?

You can read the full story on Shuker's blog via the link below.

Source: Karl Shuker Blogspot | Comments (48)

Tags: Scorpion