A scorpion belongs to approximately 1,500 elongated arachnids, which are segmented, curved tails with a venomous sting at the back of the body, and a pair of grasping pincers at the front. Although scorpions are most common and diverse in deserts, they also inhabit many other habitats. Predominantly nocturnal, scorpions often play the role of villains in fables and legends. The Greek respect for Scorpions prompted the constellation of Scorpio as a zodiac sign.
Emperor Scorpions are creatures found in West Africa, in the tropical forests of Nigeria, Togo, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Congo Region.
Emperor scorpions breed all year round. After a gestation period of 9 months, on average, females give birth to 10 to 12 cubs. Emperor Scorpions reach sexual maturity by age 4.
What is Emperor scorpion?
Emperor scorpions are one of the oldest creatures still present today. They have a history of about 300 million years, and they have not changed much since then.
They are heavier than other scorpion species, and the female species, when pregnant, weighs more than 28 grams. The body of the Emperor Scorpion is shiny black in color. The species has four legs with a long tail, which ends on the stinger. The front part of the body of the Emperor Scorpion consists of two huge pedipalps pincher-like. They have special sensory structures on the ends of their limbs, which are called pectines. Females usually have smaller pectines than males.
They typically eat insects and also binge on other arthropods. They also eat small vertebrates occasionally.
Emperor scorpion Size
Scorpions are becoming very common, and people are fond of keeping them as their pets. Especially emperor scorpions. They are one of the largest species having an average length of 6 – 8 cm. The male species of Emperor Scorpions are more thin and long than the female species. The most giant among them is The Black Emperor Scorpion, which is an African species found in Guinea. This giant species is about 21 – 25 cm long and called Rock Scorpion. However, the smallest of this species is just 12mm long and called as Caribbean Microtityus fundorai.
Emperor scorpion Habitat
They are typically found in places of high humidity and hot temperatures, mainly tropical and terrestrial regions like forests. They reside in the places of shelter like burrows, leaf debris, forest debris, etc. They are also found in stream banks and also in mounds of termites, which are their main prey.
Emperor Scorpions live communally rather than living alone. Therefore they are found in large numbers near the human habitat.
Emperor scorpion Facts
● Emperor scorpions live in the coastal countries of west-central Africa. It’s one of the most important scorpions within the world in terms of their size. They are terrestrial and active within the late hours of the day. Although each scorpion encompasses a poisonous sting on the tip of its tail, adults normally depend upon their large claws, or palps, to catch prey. Females give birth to their young ones, which they persevere their backs. Mother and young often share a nest chamber dug out of a termite mound.
● Emperor scorpions also help in controlling insect populations in desert areas.
● There are around 2000 species of scorpions within the world, and a few of them possess the deadliest venom and are very harmful, but only 25 species out of 2000 are deadly to humans.
● Emperor scorpions have low toxicity levels in their venom as compared to other scorpions, and that they use their venom for his or her defensive purpose only since their venom isn’t strong enough to kill predators or prey. They use their huge claws to kill their prey. This is often why it’s advised to stay yourselves far away from this dangerous creature.
● Like other scorpions, they also appear bluish-green under UltraViolet radiation.
● This species of scorpions performs complex mating rituals. The male typically grabs the feminine by the pedipalps and performs a spread of activities, including but not limited to sexual stinging and cheliceral “kissing” before the sperm is deposited by the male emperor scorpion. Like other arthropods, female emperor scorpions can kill and eat the male after mating.
Emperor scorpion Classification
The creature Emperor Scorpion belongs to the kingdom Animalia. It is further classified into the phylum Arthropoda and class Arachnida. The classification further moves towards the order Scorpiones, family Scorpionidae, and genus Pandinus imperator.
It is commonly known as Emperor Scorpion.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
Family: Scorpionidae
Genus: Pandinus imperator
Common Name: Emperor Scorpion
