CLOSED: Weird TINY bug with pincers like a lobster or scorpion

What the heck is this? This is the second one I've found. One was in the house on my son's water cup he had sitting on his window sill and this one was crawling around on a tent cover we have on our deck. It is very tiny (the photo is an extreme close up) and it has two claws on the front. I'm a little creeped out, it looks mean. Any help identifying it would be great!

Thanks,
Melissa :o)

PS. We live in Western WA and I found both of them when the weather was warm.

This message was edited May 24, 2008 8:03 PM

Looks like a pseudoscorpion. Take a look at this... http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2062.html

I think you are right! Thank you so much! I'm glad to read they aren't dangerous, they sure look it. :o)

yep, it looks really scarey though. Apparently only dangerous to tiny bugs.

I'm in eastern WA and just saw my first one today too, crawling in the windowsill near my desk. I was perplexed so I googled to this page, and sure enough it's the same critter. Your picture does make him look much larger that the wee little bug he is (this one is about tick size anyway). Maybe I'm weird but I think he's kinda cute! It's so bizarre to see those lobster-like pinchers on such a little bug. Perhaps there is a population burst of them in WA this year. Interesting!

I'm from Missouri, and I just found one of these little buggers here! It was in my bed crawling on my daughter. My wife spotted it and was a bit freaked out. It is a tiny little thing. Not much bigger than the head of a ball point pin. I found another link, but it was talking about something not bigger than a half inch; that makes me wonder if this is just a baby and there are more where it came from. Any comment on that?

Pseudoscorpions are very small and yours was probably feeding on house dust mites. I wouldn't worry about being overrun by them. They aren't harmful to humans.

Also, there are many species of pseudoscorpions of varying sizes -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscorpion

Just found one of these little guys in my house, in plains, kansas

Yup so I've found several in my bedroom in northern NY so I was rather pleased to find out they're not going to do something terrible to me...

I just found one in central IA. Glad I found this post - I can quit freaking out!

Thank goodness for Google, huh?! I just found one of these in my bedroom (southeastern CT) and just about freaked out. It still creeps me out but at least now I know what it is...

Make you wonder what planet they came from.

I try to be very openminded on insects but I am still happy to see the closest report being couple hundred miles away!!