Top 30 Intriguing Scorpion Facts
For most people, scorpion facts consist of knowing that they are the animal used for a horoscope sign or that they are an intimidating creature with grasping claws and a long segmented tail. While these are both correct, there is a whole lot more to these fearsome venomous arthropods than meets the eye. Below are the top 30 scorpion facts that you may not know about this mysterious animal.
- Scorpions are able to navigate by moonlight or starlight because they can distinguish dark from light and have outstanding low light sensitivity.
- Females and males find each other by scent, touch and vibration.
- The fluorescence in scorpions is due to a substance that lies in the scorpion’s hyaline layer. As this unidentified substance hardens, there is an increase in the fluorescent level. Therefore, the older they are, the brighter they become.
- One of the most phenomenal scorpion facts is that their hyaline layer is so tough that it is found quite often in fossils, even after many millions of years and it still fluoresces.
- There are 25 species of scorpions that have venom that is powerful enough to kill a human.
- Scorpions are found everywhere except Antarctica.
- There are currently 1752 species of scorpions on the planet.
- Interestingly, scorpions can survive in any type of environment from snow-covered mountains to underground caves.
- The scorpion’s body is divided into two separate segments being the abdomen and the cephalothorax.
- Scorpions have one pair of eyes at the top of their head and another two to five additional pairs near the corners of their head.
- Their clawed appendages, called pedipalps are what they use to defend, sense and immobilize their prey.
- The abdomen of a scorpion is made up of seven segments.
- The lifespan of the scorpion is anywhere from 10 to 25 years.
- Scorpions are fossorial and nocturnal, finding their daytime shelter under rocks or in underground holes and then they come out to hunt at night.
- These are opportunistic predators that feed on insects, arthropods and even mice and lizards.
- One of the most interesting scorpion facts is that they have really tactile hairs on their large pincers that trigger their senses when an insect touches them which is how they catch their prey.
- Scorpions can eat an impressive amount of food at one time. They have a low metabolic rate and an organ that stores food that allows them to survive up to 12 months without starving.
- Males and females have a very elaborate courtship dance that they partake in before they decide on each other as a mate.
- Young scorpions are carried by their mother on her back until they go through a minimum of one molt.
- An average litter consists of eight scorplings.
- Scorpions grow by shedding.
- One of the more frightening scorpion facts is that more than 1,000 people are killed in Mexico every year from their sting.
- After mating, the female often eats the male.
- Scorpions have external digestion and only can ingest food that is in liquid form.
- Every scorpion species is equipped with venom that is used to paralyze or kill their prey.
- Scorpions have eight walking legs.
- It takes a very long time for a scorpion to mature as they go through either five or six molts over a few years.
- The buthid species is one of the most deadly scorpions and it is also one of the smallest.
- Some scorpions mature at a length of nine inches and they are also the least venomous because the bigger the scorpion, the less deadly they are.
- Scientists have frozen scorpions solid and they are so hardy that they thaw out and continue to crawl. About the only thing that they cannot live without is loose soil to burrow in.
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