Black Emperor Scorpion

Scorpions are arthropods related to the spiders and they belong to the class known as arachnid. There are different types of scorpions (over 2000 species) and Black Emperor scorpion (Imperial scorpion) is one of them. Though the Imperial scorpion is a native of West Africa, they are also found in abundance in the rainforests around the world.

Black Emperor Scorpion Facts

Emperor scorpions are the largest scorpions on the earth. The length of an adult (fully grown) black emperor is approximately 8 inches; while a young one is around 4 inches long. A black emperor scorpion becomes a fully-grown adult at the age of four. The life span of an emperor scorpion is eight years.

An interesting fact is that a young black emperor scorpion is white in color; the color turns to black with each molting. An emperor scorpion molts at least six times, before becoming an adult.

You can visually differentiate between a female and a male emperor scorpion, by checking out the size of the ‘pectines’ (appendages on the underside of the belly with combs on them). If there are many combs and the length of the combs are long, then the scorpion is a male. A female emperor has very few combs and the combs are shorter in length.

Among all the scorpion family, the black emperor scorpions are the most docile; the sting of this arthropod is mild and the toxicity of the venom is less, hence the pain disappears after a couple of hours. This could be the reason why a black emperor scorpion is an ideal pet for scorpion lovers. It has been categorized as one of the exotic pets.

An emperor scorpion loves to habitat in areas, where the temperature is high. If you are planning to keep an emperor scorpion as a pet, keep an under-tank heater to heat the tank. An ideal temperature is 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Are you curious to know what a black emperor as well as other scorpions eat? An emperor scorpion eats almost anything from lizards to grasshoppers, mice and crickets. Sometimes, they feed on small birds and the smaller species of scorpions. If you have an emperor scorpion as pet, do not overfeed it. On an average, an adult emperor would require only a couple of crickets a day. On a very shallow bowl, keep a small amount of water because a black emperor scorpion is likely to drink water. The best time to feed an emperor scorpion is at night, as it is a nocturnal arthropod.

Do you know a female emperor scorpion would give birth to minimum 40 scorpions at a time? The gestation period of the mother is seven months. The baby scorpions stay on the back of the mother after birth and descend only to eat. The mother scorpion kills a prey and leaves it on the floor of the scorpion nest. The baby scorpions climb down from the mother’s back and feed on the dead insect.

The venom of the black emperor scorpion is not lethal. However, if you have any allergy-related health problems, it is better to be careful while handling this large scorpion.