A frightening appearance, large claws, a poisonous tail raised up - and all this is a scorpion. An amazing insect that has been known to the world for more than 400 million years. The image of the scorpion is inscribed on the Egyptian pyramids, many myths were written about him, he was worshiped as a deity, he was cursed and feared.
Lifestyle
Scorpio - an insect, the description of which can interest anyone. The length of his body is 10-20 cm. He has two large claws and a poisonous gland located at the end of the tail. Grows slowly, bears eggs, gives birth to cubs, easily tolerates heat. It can live in adverse conditions, but dies at low temperatures. However, scorpions living in the mountains, with the onset of cold weather, hibernate before the onset of heat.
Scorpio is an insect of a nocturnal lifestyle. It is almost impossible to see him during the day, as he prefers to go hunting only at night. Under cover of darkness, he catches his prey with large claws. If she tries to break free, she paralyzes her with her poison.
He sees the scorpion badly, but has an excellent sense of touch. Thanks to the villi on the paws, he hears a fly landing on the ground at a distance of 10 centimeters or more. With the help of these villi, the hunter accurately determines the distance to the victim, makes a sharp throw, and the prey is in his claws.
In the afternoon, insects - scorpions - hide under stones, bark of trees, in the minks of small animals. If nothing suitable is found, they burrow into the sand. Even in places with a dry and hot climate, they find a wet shelter.
Food
Scorpions never eat dead food, only live. They don’t sort out food, they can feast on a spider, a centipede, various larvae, small lizards. If nothing edible comes across, they tolerate hunger for a week or two. In general, scorpions are able to do without food for more than a month - very few insects possess this ability.
Scorpions on the hunt are not very active. Usually their prey becomes a cockroach or wood louse, which inadvertently stumbled upon a hunter. Scorpio with a sharp movement grabs the victim with claws and tears it to pieces. And after that, it starts to suck out the contents.
This process takes a lot of time. Such food allows the hunter to do without food for a long time. And the liquid sucked from production compensates for the lack of water.
Cannibalism is not uncommon among these insects. With a long lack of food, they attack each other. Females very often eat their grooms after the mating process. And thanks to such actions, the female has the strength to lay eggs and give birth to strong offspring.
Insect Poison
Scorpions are poisonous and not poisonous. The bite of the first of them, for example, kills a dog in a few minutes. And a person dies in a few hours if he does not receive an antidote. Scorpion venom paralyzes the nervous and cardiac systems, as well as the pectoral muscles.
Non-toxic insects are dangerous for invertebrates that are selected for food. A person will only feel a weak bite, such as an aspen or a bee sting. But for young children, an elderly person or having poor health, a scorpion bite can be fatal.
The described insects (scorpions) never attack first, especially people. In danger, they try to hide or run away. Attack only for protection.
Progeny
The female carries the future offspring for quite some time. The process can take up to a year. The number of cubs varies from 20 to 100, it all depends on the species. Scorpions are mostly viviparous. But some species lay eggs (ovoviviparous), or the embryo develops in the egg membrane.
If the offspring is numerous, the birth takes place in two sets, and new insects appear at the interval of a day. Scorpions give birth only at night, in a secluded place inaccessible to predators. The posterity appears with a soft, colorless carapace and is very weak.
Therefore, at first, the babies are on the back of their mother, in complete safety. But this does not last long, only a few days. Then the cubs molt, become covered with a hard shell and are ready for independent life.
Arachnids are not very good mothers. But not female scorpions, whose maternal instinct is highly developed. They gently protect their offspring and zealously protect.
