Airport security officials scoured a Toronto-bound plane on Sunday after a scorpion got loose onboard and stung a man.
The critter snuck into the carry-on backpack of a passenger who was returning from a camping trip in Costa Rica, the Toronto Star reported.
Once the flight was in the air, the arachnid climbed out of the bag and up the man's leg. It then stung him on the back of the knee.
The man was treated by paramedics after the plane landed at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. Animal control workers said the scorpion was not lethal and the man is expected to recover, the Star reported.
The incident caused some nervousness among fliers and forced an hour-long delay as security personnel combed the plane for other possibly dangerous critters.
The scorpion apparently got through security in Costa Rica and was not detected when the American Airlines flight had a stopover in Miami.
The victim is believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s. The scorpion was killed during its capture, officials said.
"As a precaution, we did go in and search the aircraft just to see if we could find anything else," said American Airlines spokesman John Hotard, who added the incident was not completely unheard of.
"We've had cases where passengers have brought critters on board in their backpack and they get out and crawl around, but it's rare."
Passengers waiting in the departure lounge at Terminal 2 were told of the situation. Some made jokes about the incident.
When passengers finally boarded the plane, the captain came on and announced: "Welcome to Scorpion Flight 1011."
