Scorpion

I learned something new today. The night watchman at Gringo Perdido had caught a scorpion in the night, and kept it to show me the babies all over its back (you can see them in the photo). I found that very interesting, so came home and looked it up on the internet … so just in case you are interested too … here is the story of reproduction of the scorpion …

The scorpions mating ritual is enacted when the male uses his pedipalps to grasp the female’s pedipalps in order to lead her on a courtship dance. The details of courtship vary from species to species, with some even exhibiting a deliberate and prolonged “sexual sting” by the male. The male sweeps his pectines over the ground surface to help locate a suitable place to deposit his spermatophore, which contains the sperm. The male pulls the female over the surface where she draws the sperm into her genital pore that is located near the front on the underside of her abdomen.

Scorpions have a long gestation period varying from several months to a year and a half in which the young develop as embryos in the female’s ovariuterus. During this time, nutrients are transferred from the mother’s digestive gland to the embryos. The young are born live and use the mother?s legs to ascend to her back.

On the average, a female gives birth to about 25-35 young. They remain on her back until they molt for the first time, which is usually within a week or two after birth. Once they climb down, they assume an independent existence, and periodically molt to reach adulthood. Typically five or six molts over two to six years are required for the scorpion to reach maturity. Adult scorpions range in size from 1.5 cm to 21 cm in length.

P.S. The scorpions here are not dangerous … their sting is similar to a bee.