Gioca STEMAnimals

Animals · Deserts and drylands

Scorpion

Scorpiones

Arachnids equipped with a stinging tail

A scorpion in a defensive stance, holding its pincers open with its tail arched over its body.
A scorpion in a defensive stance, holding its pincers open with its tail arched over its body.
  • Status: Unknown
  • Deserts, grasslands, savannas, forests, and caves, up to 12,000 feet

Numbers

Weight
0,1 ozfrom 0.07 to 0.18 oz
Length
4 infrom 3.5 to 4.5 inches
Lifespan
4 yearsfrom 3 to 5 years in common species, up to 10 to 15 in some
Maximum length
8 inHadogenes troglodytes, the longest living scorpion
Maximum altitude
12000 ftunder snow covered rocks in the Andes and Himalayas
Years on Earth
420 million yearsamong the first animals to colonize land

Ten fun facts

  1. there are about two thousand species of scorpions worldwide, divided into six superfamilies and seventeen living families.

  2. the longest known living scorpion exceeds eight inches, while the smallest, Microtityus fundora, measures just half an inch.

  3. scorpions glow when exposed to ultraviolet light, which makes them very easy to spot at night with a special flashlight.

  4. scorpions have two unique comb-like sensory organs under their body that do not exist in any other animal group.

  5. female scorpions give birth to twenty-five to thirty-five live young, which ride on their mother's back until their first molt.

  6. scorpions need five or six molts to reach adulthood, a process that takes anywhere from two to six years.

  7. scorpion venom is a mix of neurotoxins tailored for each species to block the nervous system of arthropod prey.

  8. according to researcher Gary Polis, only eight genera, all from the family Buthidae, contain species that are dangerous to humans.

  9. scorpions have been found living under snow-covered rocks over twelve thousand feet high in the Andes and Himalayas.

  10. the legend that a scorpion stings itself to death when surrounded by fire is false, as it dies from heat.

The quiz answers

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Question 1 of 5

Which group of animals do scorpions belong to?

Question 2 of 5

How does a scorpion detect its prey?

Question 3 of 5

What happens to a scorpion under ultraviolet light?

Question 4 of 5

How are baby scorpions born?

Question 5 of 5

Do scorpions live only in deserts?

Try it yourself

Experiment 1

Cut out an eight-inch strip of paper. That is the length of the longest known living scorpion, the South African Hadogenes troglodytes.

Experiment 2

Place your fingers on a table and ask someone to tap the far side. You will feel ground vibrations just like a hunting scorpion.

Experiment 3

Mark half an inch on a ruler to see the size of the smallest known scorpion, then compare it to your little fingernail.

Data from Wikidata (Q19125) and Wikipedia (Scorpion).