Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing emperor scorpions. These arthropods are known as some of the largest living scorpions. They’re often used in film for their intimidating appearance, but they’re relatively harmless to humans. Emperor scorpions are considered shy and tend to attack only in defense. Their sting produces venom, though it’s not fatal to humans and is described as equivalent to a bee sting. A person would be in more pain from this arachnid's pincers. Adults use their pincers, or pedipalps, over their stinger for catching food. The emperor scorpion’s diet consists of insects, especially termites, as well as small vertebrates like rodents and reptiles. Younger emperor scorpions use their sting to subdue prey and then eat, but adults almost exclusively use this for self defense.

Predators to emperor scorpions include birds, mammals including bats, and spiders. They’re native to tropical west africa and live in hot, humid forests. Emperor scorpions are ground dwelling creatures and often found under leaf litter, logs, rocks, and in termite mounds. They also dig burrows. Emperor scorpions are not solitary creatures as one might expect from a fearsome looking, hard-shelled arthropod. Instead, they live in groups of a dozen or more individuals. These arthropods can reach over 7 inches (18cm) in length and can weigh more than 30g. For reference, that’s double the weight of a songbird such as the European robin. The heaviest emperor scorpions are pregnant females.

Emperor scorpion males court females with a mating display that often involves grasping their pincers together. They may even “kiss” each other by bringing their mouthparts together before completing the ritual. They part ways after their love session, and the female gestates for 9 months. That’s the same amount of time as humans. After gestation, the female gives birth to about a dozen babies. Yes, like hissing cockroaches, scorpion babies are born live! The babies ride on their mother’s back for a few weeks while they develop, much like the wolf spiders we’ve talked about in a previous episode. Eventually, the babies drop off after their first molt. They’ll molt, or shed their exoskeleton, multiple times throughout their lives.

Emperor scorpions don’t begin breeding until about four years old and may live to be five or older in the wild. Like other scorpions, when under UV light they glow bluish green. They have poor eyesight, but this isn’t much of a problem because they are nocturnal, meaning they are most active during the night. Instead of depending on eyesight, emperor scorpions sense their environment using specialized hairlike structures on the backs of their legs. These are often larger in males and are a way the males and females can be told apart from each other.

For more facts on emperor scorpions, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today! Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! Thank you to Mr. Mysterious for today’s request! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!