10 UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT SCORPION

10 UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT SCORPION

A scorpion can have as many as 100 babies in a single brood. They are born alive, not hatched from eggs like insects. When they are born, baby scorpions have a very soft outside shell, or exoskeleton. They crawl up onto their mother's back and ride there for 10 to 20 days until their exoskeleton gets stiff and hard. Then they crawl off and begin life on their own.

A hungry mother scorpion will eat her own babies if resources are scarce.

But some baby scorpions can be cannibals too. The young while starving eat their mother slowly.

Most people know scorpions can inflict a painful sting, but not much else about the amazing arthropods. Though they are never going to be called cute or cuddly, Scorpions sure are interesting! They are arachnids, making them close cousins to spiders. On today's Nature and Wildlife, we will review some interesting facts about this small but scary animal.

1. There are over 1750 known species of scorpion. While humans generally fear the scorpion and its poisonous sting only about 25 of the species have venom capable of killing a human. They are found on all continents with the exception of Antarctica.

2. Scorpions do not lay eggs. Rather, they give live birth. Even though they might look pretty scary, they are really good moms and will usually let their babies ride on their backs for protection.

3. Scorpions have eight legs, a pair of pincers (pedipalps) and a narrow segmented tail that often curves over their back, on the end of which is a venomous stinger.

4. Scorpions do not have any internal bones. Instead, they have an

exoskeleton , or a hard shell, on the outside of their bodies.

5. Scorpions can eat a massive amount of food in one meal. Their large food storage organs, together with a low metabolism rate and an inactive lifestyle means that if necessary they can survive 6-12 months without eating again.

6. Females are usually larger than males. Occasionally, the female even kills and eats the male after mating.

7. The scorpion is nocturnal, often hiding during the day under rocks and in holes in the ground before emerging at night to feed. In fact, some species spend up to 97% of their lives in their burrows.

8. Despite having 6 to 12 eyes, scorpions have poor vision. Instead, they locate their prey through scent and ground vibrations.

9. The belief that scorpions commit suicide by stinging themselves to death when surrounded by fire is a myth. They are not known to have such suicidal behavior and if even they had, their venom has no effect on themselves.

10. Scorpions can live for a really long time. They can live as long as ten years in the wild! In captivity, they have been known to live for up to 25 years.

Join us next week for more on the program.