Scorpions
The Striped Scorpion
Written by Michele Schlesinger, Missouri Department of Conservation
Other Common Names: Plains Scorpion, Wood Scorpion
Scientific Name: Centruroides vittatus
Description: Average scorpion length is 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Young scorpions are pale yellowish-brown, usually with two lengthwise dark stripes on their abdomen; older scorpions are uniform dark brown with the stripes faint or lacking.
Missouri Habitat: A scorpion's favorite habitat is a glade. Glades are rocky, dry areas with a very thin layer of topsoil over thick bedrock. Grasses and small plants adapted to this sunny habitat cover glades, along with shrubs and stunted trees. Scorpions prefer glades with lots of loose rock (such as limestone or dolomite glades) so that they can hide from the sun during the day. They are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night.
(right) Centruroides vittatus, the striped scorpion is the only scorpion species found in Missouri.
Scorpions are sometimes found in buildings and shelters, as well as under piles of wood, brush, or garbage. This is particularly true in the Ozarks and other areas that have a lot of glades. Scorpions seek these places out, especially if there are few humans around, because here they find ideal shelter and plentiful food supplies.
Life History: Scorpions belong to the same Class as spiders, ticks, and mites: ARACHNIDA. Like other arachnids, scorpions have four pairs of jointed legs. Scorpions also have a pair of enlarged pinchers at their front, which they use to grab prey.
A scorpion has a pair of eyes in the middle of its back, as well as two to five additional pairs of eyes along the front edge of its body. Even though they have a lot of eyes, scorpions have poor vision. They make up for this by having tiny sensitive hairs on their pinchers that help them detect motion. In addition, scorpions have strange comb-like structures called pectines on their underside, which are unique to scorpions. The pectines are sensitive to touch, ground vibrations, and perhaps even sound.
Scorpions are solitary creatures, interacting only to mate or to prey upon one another. Before mating, scorpions undergo a strange "courtship dance," in which they circle around on another and move each other back and forth with their pinchers interlocked. Unlike most other invertebrates, scorpions give birth to live young. The young scorpions, miniature versions of their parents, climb onto their mother's back and remain there for one to two weeks. Scorpions generally live three to seven years, although some survive 25 years or more.
Scorpions are entirely carnivorous. They prefer soft-bodied pre such as spiders, cockroaches, ants, crickets, beetles, and butterflies. A hungry scorpion may even tackle small mice and lizards. Scorpions are also cannibalistic: larger scorpions will prey on smaller, weaker scorpions.
Venom and Sting Prevention: Missouri's only native scorpion has a sting no worse than a wasp or bee. A sting usually results in a sharp pain and a red welt that shortly disappears with no after effects. An ice pack and antiseptic should be sufficient treatment. A few people have an allergic reaction to the venom, and experience more severe symptoms: swelling and itching of the throat and face, and a temperature that rises to 104 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Immediate medical attention, especially for children, is required.
Stings can be prevented by reducing a scorpion's favorite hiding places. Remove piles of rock, lumber, and rubbish. Keep homes insect free to eliminate a scorpion's food source. Do not reach under rocks or logs with bare hands. Do not go barefoot at night in rocky or dry terrain. If your home becomes infested, apply insecticides that are approved for home use at foundation and chimney bases as well as in cellars and crawl spaces.
Scorpion Fact and Folklore
- Strange myths about scorpion origins include the Egyptian belief that scorpions came from the corpses of crocodiles, and the English belief that bruising sweet bay leaves would breed scorpions.
- Scorpions can withstand hours of total immersion, weeks of freezing, and up to nine months without food or water. Some species can live for months buried alive!
- Scorpions are considered to be the first arthopod to have emerged on land. Some sources believe them to be the first land animal
- Egyptians believed that women were immune to scorpion stings. Another old belief was that scorpions stings were only fatal in the morning!
- An old treatment for scorpion stings involved dosing the patient with a chicken's brain and five ants dissolved in vinegar...then the patient had to eat the scorpion roasted!
- One superstition states that a scorpion surrounded by a ring of fire will sting itself to death.
- Today stings from lethal scorpions are treated with a serum derived from the venom of scorpions.
