A scorpion believed to have originated from Fiji has been found in a bathroom in Auckland, prompting an investigation by New Zealand biosecurity officials.
New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) confirmed the scorpion-like creature discovered in the bathroom was indeed a scorpion after it was collected and examined by biosecurity officers.
The discovery was shared on social media by food and travel writer Anna King Shahab, who said the creature was found alive before later dying.
Biosecurity New Zealand Manager Plant Health Incursion Investigation, Dr Carolyn Bleach, says the scorpion was in very poor condition and would likely not have survived much longer.
She says preliminary investigations suggest the juvenile scorpion is likely of Fijian origin, as the person who found it had travelled to Fiji and Bali earlier this year.
Bleach says scorpions are usually lone hitchhikers and can survive for months hidden away without food.
Officials are carrying out further testing to determine the exact species.
Exotic scorpions are not established in New Zealand, and such discoveries are rare.
Previous cases include a dead scorpion found in a Hamilton hotel in 2002 and a live scorpion discovered in a traveller's luggage at Auckland Airport in 2014.
Source: Stuff.co.nz
Source: Stuff.co.nz
