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'I stepped on it!' Queensland mum shocked to find scorpion on kitchen floor

A Queensland mother received the fright of her life when she stood on a scorpion that appeared on her kitchen floor, out of nowhere.

Mel Nolan was on her way to the fridge when she found the unexpected house guest under her foot - right where her six-month-old usually plays.

In disbelief the desert creature appeared in her Ipswich home, she took to Facebook to share her shock.

An Ipswich woman received the fright of her life when she stood on a scorpion on her kitchen floor. Source: Mel Nolan/Facebook
An Ipswich woman received the fright of her life when she stood on a scorpion on her kitchen floor. Source: Mel Nolan/Facebook

“I accidentally stood on it ewwwww omg I might die,” she joked.

Still not believing her eyes, Ms Nolan, whose star sign is Scorpio, wondered if perhaps it wasn’t her astrology namesake after all.

“Is it [definitely] a scorpion or a crab??” she asked her followers, sharing a picture of the clawed creature - which revealed her eyes were truly not playing tricks on her.

“First we had a 30cm lizard and now this….. we live in a zoo!!”

She tried to see the funny side about her encounter with the intruder, telling the Queensland Times she and a friend went full Steve Irwin mode, springing into action to try and capture the critter.

Ms Nolan said the pair initially planned to remove the beast and relocate the arachnid outside, but were too afraid to pick it up.

“As soon as we moved it, the damn creature ran at us so we screamed murder. Those things move so weirdly," she told the newspaper.

The pair managed to trapped the scorpion under a takeaway container before squishing it with a thong.

"I knew we've had some ridiculously hot days but seriously didn't think Springfield Lakes had turned into the desert.

"Next a camel will be strolling on in through my front door,” she joked.

Scorpions are easily distinguished by their long sting-bearing tail and a pair of pincers on long arms.Source: Australian Museum
Scorpions are easily distinguished by their long sting-bearing tail and a pair of pincers on long arms.Source: Australian Museum

While scorpions are commonly desert critters, they are also found in gardens and forests throughout Australia, according to the Australian Museum.

They are easily distinguished by their long sting-bearing tail and a pair of pincers on long arms.

The largest Australian scorpions can grow to 12cm long, with the larger critters found in the northern parts of the country.

Australian scorpion bites are not harmful, despite giving a painful sting that can cause inflammation for several hours.

“Scorpions are great pest controllers in the garden, so if one is found in the house, collect it carefully in a jar and remove it to a safe distance, rather than killing it,” the Australian Museum advised.