Types of Scorpions in Las Vegas: 3 Species Compared (2026)

The three species you're likely to encounter

Field guides list more species for southern Nevada, but in and around Las Vegas homes, three account for nearly every sighting:

	Bark scorpion	Desert hairy	Striped-tail
Size	2–3 in	4–6 in (largest)	2–2.5 in
Appearance	Slender, uniform tan, thin pincers	Large, dark back, yellow legs	Stocky, dark stripes on the tail
Climbs walls?	Yes — walls and ceilings	No — burrows in the ground	No — ground level, under rocks
Comes indoors?	Regularly	Rarely	Occasionally (garages, ground floors)
Sting	Medically significant — a concern for children, the elderly, and pets	Painful, usually similar to a bee sting	Painful, not medically serious for most people

Which one am I looking at?

Three quick questions identify almost every Las Vegas scorpion:

Was it on a wall or ceiling? Bark scorpion. The other two local species do not climb.
Is it very large — four inches or more? Desert hairy scorpion. Intimidating in appearance, but the least likely to enter your house, and its sting is mild relative to its size.
Small and stocky, with visible dark stripes on the tail? Striped-tail scorpion. Usually found under rocks, pots, and doormats at ground level.

The pincer rule is a useful backup: thin pincers generally indicate potent venom (the bark scorpion); thick pincers indicate a species that relies on strength instead. Note that all species glow the same blue-green under a UV flashlight at night — the glow shows you where they are, not which species they are.

Does the species change what you should do?

In most cases, yes:

Bark scorpions justify a full program — they come indoors, they reproduce inside wall voids, and their sting is the one that matters medically. Sealing combined with targeted treatment is the approach that works. Read the full bark scorpion guide.
Desert hairy and striped-tail scorpions in the yard are essentially desert wildlife. If they are not getting inside, removing harborage (rock piles, debris, ground clutter) is usually enough. If they are getting inside, the same sealing work solves it.

If you've found a scorpion and aren't sure what it is or whether it's a problem, request a free inspection — we'll survey the property and give you a straight answer.

Request My Free Inspection