General Information  - Date back to the Sulurian era (450 million years ago) - There are 2,000 known species of Scorpions - Size 2-30cm - All have front pincers and curved stinger tail - All scorpions are venomous - Superfamilies - Pseudochactoidea - Buthoidea - Chaeriloidea - Chactoidea - Iuroidea - Scorpionoidea Anatomy  Body - The body of a scorpion is divided into two parts: - The cephalothorax (also called the prosoma) and the abdomen (opisthosoma). -The abdomen consists of the mesosoma and the metasoma. - They have eight legs, two pedipalps,
and a tail with a venom-injecting barb. - Scorpions have two venom glands that
produce venom used in hunting and self defense. - Scorpions have an exoskeleton made of chitin. - Scorpions have six to twelve eyes - an obvious pair at the centre of the carapace and two to five smaller eyes on each side- Scorpions do not have good eyesight. However, they can readily distinguish light from dark and appear to have excellent low light sensitivity, which helps them to both avoid harsh sunlight and to navigate by starlight or moonlight. - Scorpions also fluoresce under ultraviolet light. The fluorescence is thought to serve as an ultraviolet sensitivity mechanism, perhaps allowing the scorpion to avoid damaging light levels. Venom - The venom is comprised of a groups of complex molecules called a neurotoxin, these contain proteins containing 60-70 crossed linked amino acids. When injected the neurotoxin attacks the nerve cells of the victim causing paralysis and death. - They use their venom to paralyze and kill their pray and in self defense.-Even small young scorpions can inject you with the same amount of venom as adults. Reproduction  - During mating, the sensory pectines under the body are used to find a suitable place for the male to deposit his sperm parcel - the spermatophore. The male and female then perform a mating dance above the spermatophore, with the female being wrestled into position over it in order to draw it up into her genital pore. - The fertilised eggs develop inside her body, and she then gives birth to live young. - Some species can have over 100 offspring, followed by the young climbing on the mother's back for weeks until first molt and living independently. Life and Habitat  - Terrestrial - Lifespan 4-25 years - They prey on insects, arthropods and in some cases small vertebrates. - Scorpions can live in almost any environment - They are burrowing animals, so in areas of permafrost or heavy grasses, where loose soil is not available, scorpions may not be able to survive. - Scorpions are generally nocturnal, they stay in crevaces and under rocks during the day and come out to hunt at night - They have adapted the ability to slow their metabolism to as little as one-third the rate for most arthropods. This enables some species to use little oxygen and live on a single insect a year. - Even with lowered metabolism, the scorpion has the ability to spring quickly to the hunt when the opportunity presents itself something that many hibernating species are unable to do. |