Different Types of Scorpions

A scorpion is an ancient venomous arthropod, belonging to the class of animals known as arachnid. They are closely related to the spiders. The sting of a scorpion is sometimes fatal because certain species are dangerously poisonous. The body structure of a scorpion resembles a crayfish. A scorpion has a pair of appendages extending from the sides of the mouth and also has a diabolic tail with a pair of powerful pincers. A scorpion attacks its predators and its prey with its tail.

There are many species of scorpions; over 2000 species in all, found all over the world. Some varieties of scorpions are classified as exotic pets. Many of the species are natives of tropical and desert regions of the earth. The scorpions vary in color (there are red, yellow, green and black color scorpions) and in length. There are over thirty species of scorpions in United States alone.

Depending on the toxicity of their venom, the scorpions are classified into two types. There are a few species of scorpions whose sting is not harmful. The sting causes sharp pain followed by swelling; however, the effect of the sting is lost after a couple of hours. The toxicity of the venom of the other type of scorpions, is similar to that of the venomous snakes such as cobra and coral snakes. That is, the venom of these arthropods is neuro-toxic. The venomous species of scorpions are mostly found in many parts of Mexico.

Species of Scorpions

Here are a few species of scorpions.

Emperor Scorpion - Another name for the emperor scorpion is imperial scorpion; it is a native of Africa. This scorpion is the largest in the world and has a life span of up to eight years. The length of emperor scorpion is around 20 cms long. This scorpion is one of the popular exotic pets because of the low toxicity of its venom and also because of its lengthy life span.

Scorpio maurus - This species of scorpions gets its name from "maurus" meaning "dark". It is also known as the Israeli gold scorpion. This species of scorpions was personally named by Linnaeus, a Swedish zoologist, and he also coined the name "Scorpio" which means scorpion. Maurus is found in the African subcontinent and Asia. The length of this species is 6 to 8 cms.

Bothriuridae - There are 135 subspecies of Bothriuridae. They are the natives of Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. One of the genera of this species was recently found in the Himalayas. The scorpions of this species are unique because the sternum consists of a couple of transverse bars, they are longer and broader when compared to the scorpions of other species.

Euscorpiidea - This family of scorpions has 79 species. Scorpions of this species are mostly found in Africa, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru and in Asian countries.

The other species of scorpions include Caraboctonidae, Chactidae and so on. Whatever be the species, all scorpions eat smaller insects such as lizards, crickets, and sometimes, members of their own family.