The walking legs attach to the front body region. The large front grasping appendages are pedipalps, so counting their pincers as walking legs gives the wrong body plan.
- True of
- Normal living scorpion body plan
- Numbers
- 8 walking legsFour pairs; pedipalps are not included.
- Corrects
- The pincers make a scorpion a ten-legged animal.
- First fold
- Fold 1
3 sources
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
The large claws at the front are grasping tools. They can hold prey while the scorpion crushes it or uses its sting; pedipalps also carry sensory structures.
- True of
- Living scorpions; capture methods vary
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
This rear region is called the metasoma. The venom-bearing telson sits at its tip and ends in the sharp stinger; the familiar curved silhouette is not a separate vertebrate-style tail.
- True of
- Living scorpion anatomy
- Corrects
- A scorpion tail is anatomically the same kind of tail as a cat's.
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
Air reaches these breathing organs through openings called spiracles. They are not mammal-style lungs: the name refers to the thin, page-like organization of their internal surfaces.
- True of
- Living scorpion respiratory anatomy
- First fold
- Fold 4
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- Frontiers in Zoology; full text hosted by PubMed Central The ultrastructure of book lung development in the bark scorpion Centruroides gracilis (Scorpiones: Buthidae) — Roger D. Farley journal, 2011
Hemolymph is the circulating body fluid. Thin, page-like surfaces separate it from air, providing the interface for gas exchange; fine supports help prevent the narrow air spaces from collapsing.
- True of
- Scorpion book lung organization; illustrated development in Centruroides gracilis
- First fold
- Fold 5
2 sources
- Frontiers in Zoology; full text hosted by PubMed Central The ultrastructure of book lung development in the bark scorpion Centruroides gracilis (Scorpiones: Buthidae) — Roger D. Farley journal, 2011
- Physiological and Biochemical Zoology; abstract hosted by PubMed The relative importance of respiratory water loss in scorpions is correlated with species habitat type and activity pattern — Eran Gefen journal, 2011
Physiologists distinguish cuticular water loss from respiratory water loss. Measuring both routes matters: an animal can conserve water at its body surface yet still lose moisture during gas exchange.
- True of
- Evaporative water loss routes in scorpions
- First fold
- Fold 5
1 source
- Physiological and Biochemical Zoology; abstract hosted by PubMed The relative importance of respiratory water loss in scorpions is correlated with species habitat type and activity pattern — Eran Gefen journal, 2011
Moving prey can create vibrations in the ground. Hairs and slit-like sensory organs on the legs help detect those signals; fine hairs on the pedipalps can also detect movement in air.
- True of
- Scorpion mechanosensation; the medium and sensor type matter
- Corrects
- Scorpions rely only on seeing prey with their eyes.
- First fold
- Fold 2
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
These special sensory appendages contact the ground below the abdomen. They are not mouthparts or extra walking feet: their information helps the animal investigate its surroundings.
- True of
- Pectines of living scorpions
- Corrects
- Pectines are the scorpion's mouthparts.
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- Euscorpius, hosted by Marshall University Pectine development in scorpion embryos and first and second instars — Roger D. Farley journal, 2011
Their eyes are useful sensors rather than useless decorations. Light sensitivity differs with habitat, and limited visual detail does not mean that every scorpion is blind.
- True of
- General scorpion vision; species and habitat variation
- Corrects
- All scorpions are blind.
- First fold
- Fold 4
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
These structures are called peg sensilla. Their sensory neurons turn stimulation into nerve impulses that travel toward the central nervous system, connecting contact with the ground to information processing.
- True of
- Scorpion pectinal sensory system
- First fold
- Fold 5
2 sources
- Invertebrate Neuroscience; abstract hosted by PubMed Investigating sensory processing in the pectines of the striped bark scorpion, Centruroides vittatus — Hughes and Gaffin journal, 2019
- Euscorpius, hosted by Marshall University Pectine development in scorpion embryos and first and second instars — Roger D. Farley journal, 2011
Kloock and colleagues compared fluorescent and reduced-fluorescence Paruroctonus becki. Gaffin and colleagues studied responses to light in Paruroctonus utahensis, including animals with covered eyes. The findings motivate hypotheses, but neither experimental design settles how fluorescence benefits scorpions in natural habitats.
- True of
- Paruroctonus becki and Paruroctonus utahensis in laboratory studies
- Must keep
may
in the scorpions tested
- First fold
- Fold 6
2 sources
- The Journal of Arachnology Ultraviolet light detection: a function of scorpion fluorescence — Kloock, Kubli and Reynolds journal, 2010
- Animal Behaviour; article deposited in Zenodo Scorpion fluorescence and reaction to light — Gaffin, Bumm, Taylor, Popokina and Mann journal, 2012
Hughes and Gaffin stimulated pectinal teeth in Centruroides vittatus and recorded activity in a central nerve center. Repeated stimulation of the same tooth showed sensory adaptation. These results describe a laboratory experiment, not proof that scorpions make a human-like mental map.
- True of
- Centruroides vittatus in the reported electrophysiology experiment
- Must keep
in striped bark scorpions
- First fold
- Fold 6
1 source
- Invertebrate Neuroscience; abstract hosted by PubMed Investigating sensory processing in the pectines of the striped bark scorpion, Centruroides vittatus — Hughes and Gaffin journal, 2019
This outer body covering is shed during growth. Its hardened surfaces are different from the soft tissues inside, and the carapace covers the front body region.
- True of
- Living scorpions
- Corrects
- A scorpion has a shell made of bones.
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Scorpions — Steven J. Prchal, A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert museum
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
This shedding is called molting. A growing scorpion leaves an old covering behind; the number and timing of molts are not identical across species, so no universal growth schedule is claimed.
- True of
- Growing immature scorpions
- First fold
- Fold 1
3 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Scorpions — Steven J. Prchal, A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert museum
Fluorescent material in the outer covering emits visible light when illuminated by suitable ultraviolet light. This is fluorescence, not proof that the animal glows in complete darkness.
- True of
- Characteristic fluorescence of scorpion cuticle under UV illumination
- Must keep
UV
- Corrects
- A scorpion lights itself up in complete darkness like a lamp.
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Animal Behaviour; article deposited in Zenodo Scorpion fluorescence and reaction to light — Gaffin, Bumm, Taylor, Popokina and Mann journal, 2012
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
For ultraviolet-induced fluorescence, material in the cuticle absorbs ultraviolet energy and emits visible blue-green light. That physical process is different from bioluminescence: turning a UV beam onto a scorpion does not reveal a self-powered lamp.
- True of
- Ultraviolet-induced scorpion fluorescence, not every possible emission process
- Corrects
- Fluorescence and bioluminescence are the same process.
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- Animal Behaviour; article deposited in Zenodo Scorpion fluorescence and reaction to light — Gaffin, Bumm, Taylor, Popokina and Mann journal, 2012
- The Journal of Arachnology Ultraviolet light detection: a function of scorpion fluorescence — Kloock, Kubli and Reynolds journal, 2010
Researchers have tested possible roles, including light detection. Observing a glow or a laboratory response does not establish a single adaptive purpose for all scorpions, and fluorescence could have different consequences in different settings.
- True of
- Adaptive function of scorpion fluorescence
- Must keep
still uncertain
- Corrects
- Scientists have proved that all scorpions glow to attract food or find shelter.
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- Animal Behaviour; article deposited in Zenodo Scorpion fluorescence and reaction to light — Gaffin, Bumm, Taylor, Popokina and Mann journal, 2012
- The Journal of Arachnology Ultraviolet light detection: a function of scorpion fluorescence — Kloock, Kubli and Reynolds journal, 2010
Their meals commonly include other arthropods. The prey menu depends on the species and the animals available; the general statement does not mean every scorpion hunts every kind of prey.
- True of
- General scorpion diet with species-dependent menus
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
Venom is delivered through the stinger, rather than through the front pincers. Calling this a venomous sting describes the delivery route; it is not the same claim as saying that something is poisonous to eat.
- True of
- Scorpion venom use; effects vary by species and recipient
- Corrects
- Scorpions inject poison through their pincers.
- First fold
- Fold 2
3 sources
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Natural History Museum, London Bite or be bitten: What is the difference between poison and venom? — Emily Osterloff museum
Capturing prey and stinging it are not identical steps. A scorpion may crush prey with its pincers and use its sting if needed.
- True of
- Many scorpions and manageable prey, not all feeding encounters
- Must keep
many
- Corrects
- Every meal must be stung.
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
Small mouthparts work on the captured animal while digestive juices break it down. Material that cannot be liquefied is discarded; the large pincers hold food rather than serving as the mouth itself.
- True of
- General scorpion feeding process
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
Their feeding removes prey from local populations, while predators feed on the scorpions themselves. This is an ecological role, not a promise that adding scorpions will solve a household pest problem.
- True of
- Scorpions as arthropod predators within local food webs
- Corrects
- Scorpions have no useful place in a food web.
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
The Australian Museum particularly identifies trapdoor spiders as prey and describes this scorpion entering and often occupying their burrows. This specialist is a contrast to the broad animal menu reported for scorpions as a group.
- True of
- Isometroides vescus, not all Australian scorpions
- Must keep
Isometroides vescus
- First fold
- Fold 4
1 source
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
The Australian Museum contrasts ambushing Urodacus species with more actively foraging bark and litter dwellers such as Lychas. These are examples of different strategies, not a rule that all individuals always use the same method.
- True of
- Contrasting strategies documented in Australian Urodacus and Lychas
- Must keep
some
- First fold
- Fold 4
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
Nocturnal means active at night. It is a common pattern, not an absolute rule: the Australian Museum notes daytime activity during prolonged wet weather.
- True of
- General activity pattern, with weather and species exceptions
- Must keep
most
- Corrects
- A scorpion can never be active in daylight.
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
Burrows, bark, rocks and leaf litter provide hiding places. Shelters can help scorpions avoid predators and extremes of temperature, but not every species digs a burrow.
- True of
- Sheltering behavior across many scorpion species
- Must keep
many
- Corrects
- Every scorpion lives in a burrow it dug itself.
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
Scorpions are not only desert animals. Different species occupy different environments, including tropical rainforests; a habitat suitable for a desert species is not automatically suitable for a forest species.
- True of
- Scorpions collectively, not every species in every habitat
- Corrects
- All scorpions are desert animals.
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
Institutional accounts describe most scorpions as nocturnal. The first reader uses the weaker some statement to preserve the exception without an untaught irregular word.
- True of
- Some living scorpions, not all species or every weather condition
- Must keep
some
- Corrects
- A scorpion can never be active in daylight.
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
A burrow is more than a hole in a picture: its shape and depth can vary with the animal and substrate. The Australian Museum describes deep spiral burrows for some desert species, without claiming that shape for forest or bark-dwelling scorpions.
- True of
- Some desert species in Australia
- Must keep
some Australian desert scorpions
- First fold
- Fold 3
1 source
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum describes Hadrurus arizonensis following the moisture line during summer. This links a particular species' shelter to changing soil conditions; it is not evidence that all scorpions dig deep tunnels.
- True of
- Hadrurus arizonensis in Sonoran Desert natural history
- Must keep
giant desert hairy scorpions
- First fold
- Fold 4
1 source
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Scorpions — Steven J. Prchal, A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert museum
The young develop inside the mother before birth. A scorpion mother does not leave an egg clutch outside her body for the babies to hatch from; development and timing differ among species.
- True of
- Living scorpions as a group
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
After birth, young climb onto their mother and remain there during early development. This maternal care is a real part of scorpion life, not a sign that the babies are attacking her.
- True of
- Normal early maternal care in scorpions
- Corrects
- Babies on a scorpion's back are eating their mother.
- First fold
- Fold 1
3 sources
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
The newborn stage differs from the hardened, independently hunting animal seen later. Descriptions of pale young on their mother's back should not be used to claim that every scorpion remains white as it grows.
- True of
- Newborn scorpions, not all life stages
- Must keep
usually
- First fold
- Fold 2
2 sources
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
The early ride is a developmental stage, not lifelong dependence. Some species remain with their mother longer, so first-molt departure must be presented as the usual pattern, not a rule without exceptions.
- True of
- Typical juvenile dispersal, with species exceptions
- Must keep
usually
first molt
- Numbers
- first molt usual departure stageTypical pattern, not universal; some species remain longer.
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
In the commonly described courtship sequence, he places a sperm packet on a suitable surface and guides her over it. The sequence varies among species; the coordinated movement is often called a courtship dance.
- True of
- Common scorpion courtship pattern, with species variation
- Must keep
during courtship
- First fold
- Fold 5
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
Microscopy showed that lung development begins before birth and continues through early juvenile development. Cells arrange themselves into rows and produce the cuticular walls of air channels; live birth does not mean every internal structure has reached its mature form.
- True of
- Centruroides gracilis in Farley's developmental study
- Must keep
in Centruroides gracilis
- First fold
- Fold 6
1 source
- Frontiers in Zoology; full text hosted by PubMed Central The ultrastructure of book lung development in the bark scorpion Centruroides gracilis (Scorpiones: Buthidae) — Roger D. Farley journal, 2011
All scorpions have venom, but their stings are not medically equivalent. Appearance alone is not a reason to handle one, and a person who is stung should seek appropriate medical advice rather than relying on a field-guide guess.
- True of
- Species-dependent venom effects and individual responses
- Corrects
- All scorpion stings have the same effect.
- First fold
- Fold 3
2 sources
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
Gefen compared scorpions from dry and moist habitats and found that the balance of water-loss routes also depended on lineage and activity. This is a study-specific comparison, not a claim that every desert scorpion loses less total water than every forest scorpion.
- True of
- Gefen's compared xeric and mesic scorpion species and subspecies
- Must keep
in the species studied
- First fold
- Fold 6
1 source
- Physiological and Biochemical Zoology; abstract hosted by PubMed The relative importance of respiratory water loss in scorpions is correlated with species habitat type and activity pattern — Eran Gefen journal, 2011
Arachnid is the name of the larger animal group that includes scorpions and these relatives. A scorpion is not a kind of spider: scorpions belong to their own order, Scorpiones.
- True of
- Living scorpions as a group
- Corrects
- A scorpion is an insect or a type of spider.
- First fold
- Fold 1
2 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
Being a predator does not make an animal safe from predators of its own. Scorpions belong within food webs: animals such as owls and bats can eat them, while scorpions themselves feed on other animals.
- True of
- Scorpion predators collectively; menus differ by region and species
- First fold
- Fold 2
3 sources
- Australian Museum Scorpions museum, 2024
- Utah State University Extension Scorpions (ENT-68-08; Roe, Hodgson and Lambert) university, 2008
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
Give a wild scorpion space and leave handling to qualified adults. Curiosity does not require picking up the animal or reaching into its shelter; learning from pictures or observing at a distance are safer choices.
- True of
- Human safety and respectful observation guidance
- Corrects
- A small or calm-looking scorpion is safe to pick up.
- First fold
- Fold 1
1 source
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Scorpion zoo
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