Scorpions: 8 Curious Facts To Know
Commonly articles about scorpions are meant to introduce these animals to us as terrifying creatures. However, the bad reputation of scorpions is completely undeserved.
In this article, we bring you some brilliant data on these animals to show you that, in reality, they are amazing creatures with extraordinary abilities.
1. Scorpions are poisonous arachnids
Scorpions are arthropods that belong to the Arachnida class. Arachnids include spiders, ticks and mites, and all those animals that possess bodies with two sections and eight legs.
All scorpions produce poison. The terrifying-looking tail is made up of five segments of the abdomen, curved upwards, with one final segment called the telson. It is in this final part that the poison is produced. At the end it has a sharp needle-like structure called a sting, which inoculates the venom.
2. They are not that dangerous to humans
The truth is that, with a few exceptions, scorpions cannot do great harm to humans. Of the nearly 2,000 known species of scorpions in the world, only 25 produce poison potent enough to endanger the life of an adult.
Children are at greater risk, simply because of their small size. In the United States it is good to only worry about a scorpion. The Arizona scorpion ( Centruroides sculpturatus ) produces poison strong enough to kill a child.
3. They are viviparous
Unlike insects, which generally lay eggs outside the body, scorpions give birth to already formed babies. In other words, they are viviparous. The gestational stage can be very short, two months, or last up to 18 months, depending on the species.
After birth, scorpion babies climb onto their mother’s back, where they remain protected until their first moult.
4. Scorpions have been living on our planet for a long time
These animals evolved from gigantic creatures (about one meter long) that emerged from the sea. Fossil evidence shows that from a morphological point of view they have remained unchanged to this day.
The earliest ancestors of the scorpion probably lived in the seas, and it is possible that they even had branches. In the Silurian period, 420 million years ago, some of these creatures reached the mainland, so their ancestors were present before the dinosaurs.
5. Scorpions can survive almost anything
Being such ancient animals, it is easy to imagine that they are surprisingly hardy animals. Although they usually live two to three years, some scorpions can reach the age of 25. In fact, we are talking about survival champions.
A scorpion can live a full year without eating or drinking. This is possible because it can slow down one’s metabolism when food is scarce. Scorpions have book-like lungs, so they can stay underwater for hours and survive.
They live in harsh and dry environments. They have extremely low metabolic rates and require only a tenth of the oxygen of most insects. Scorpions have shown high resistance to the effects of radioactive emissions. Their chances of surviving a nuclear attack, therefore, are much higher than those of any other animal species.
6. They eat almost anything they can subdue
These animals are nocturnal hunters. Most scorpions feed on insects, spiders, and other arthropods, but some feed on larvae and earthworms.
Larger scorpions can eat larger prey and some have been known to eat small rodents and lizards. While many eat anything that seems palatable to them, others specialize in particular prey, such as certain families of beetles or spiders. A starving mother will eat her children if resources are scarce.
7. They glow in the dark
For reasons that scientists are still debating, scorpions glow under ultraviolet light. The cuticle, or skin, of the scorpion absorbs ultraviolet light and reflects it as visible light.
This feature has allowed the number of documented scorpion species to increase. The scorpion fossils still glow despite a hundred million years having passed embedded in the rock.
8. Scorpions dance before mating
Scorpions perform an elaborate courtship ritual that includes a dance. The dance begins when the male and female make contact. During the dance, the male finds the right place for his spermatophore.
After depositing the sperm, he guides the female over him and places her genital opening so that she can collect the sperm. In the wild, the male typically leaves immediately after mating is complete. In captivity, it is common to see the female devouring her partner.
