Interesting Desert Scorpion Facts

Interesting Facts for Kids 1: Where do Desert Scorpions live?
Desert Scorpions are defined as arachnids. This type of animal has eight legs and its body is formed of two main parts known as the cephalothorax and the abdomen. The Desert Scorpion is one of those animals that has stood the test of time, and has cleverly adapted to the conditions of the Earth over millions of years. Desert Scorpions stay mostly on the ground, they find refuge underneath rocks or they burrow in sand dunes. They are nocturnal animals, staying active during the night and keeping away from light during daytime hours.
Interesting Facts for Kids 2: Desert Scorpion Species
There are over 1700 known species of scorpions, and most of them are found in the deserts. The most prominent desert scorpion species are the Deathstalker Scorpion, Giant Hairy Desert Scorpion, Bark Scorpion, and Stripe-tailed Scorpion.
Interesting Facts for Kids 3: Deathstalker Scorpion Facts
The Deathstalker is a very dangerous type of scorpion found in desert areas and hot climates of North Africa and Middle East regions. Its scientific name is Leiurus quinquestriatus and they are highly venomous creatures.
Interesting Facts for Kids 4: Giant Hairy Desert Scorpion Facts
As the name implies, the Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion is the largest scorpion species in North America and grows up to 6 inches in length. The color of this species is brown and it has hairs all over its body. The hairs help in sensing ground vibrations that lead them to their prey. The poison gland is located at the tip of the Great Desert Hairy Scorpion’s tail. They are commonly found as pets yet they can cause painful stings. Other than allergic reactions, the venom is not deadly. The name Arizonensis has been given to the Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion due to its high occurrence in the Arizona region. This type of scorpion dwells in the desert areas of North American. The scientific name of the Giant Hairy Desert Scorpion is Hadrurus arizonensis. Even though this animal looks scary and stings frequently, it is not in fact as venomous as many other scorpion species.
Interesting Facts for Kids 5: Bark Scorpion Facts
This species can be found living in hot and desert type regions of Arizona, California and Mexico. The Bark Scorpion’s scientific name is Centruroides exilicauda. This type of scorpion is the most toxic species of North America.
Interesting Facts for Kids 6: Stripe-tailed Scorpion Facts
The Stripe-tailed species is confined mostly to regions of South California and Arizon. Its scientific name is Vaejovia spinigerus. Even though the Stripe-tailed Scorpion is venomous, they are not in fact, as dangerous as many other types of scorpion.
Interesting Facts for Kids 7: Desert Scorpion Habitat Facts
The Desert Scorpion is the most common type of scorpion, and can be found living in hot and arid regions of the world, particularly in desert habitats. Almost all desert scorpion species are highly venomous and are considered among the most deadly animals in the world. This type of arachnid lives in solitude, in places rich in insects. They prefer areas close to bodies of water due to the abundance of insects.
Interesting Facts for Kids 8: How do Desert Scorpions Move?
Desert Scorpions have four pairs of clawed walking legs which allow them to move with swift motion capability. Their flat bodies allow them to easily slide up between rock crevices and logs. This particular type of scorpion can be described as an active and aggressive animal that moves quickly. The Desert Scorpion has a high affinity to sense ground vibrations. They use vibrations to guide them in the direction of food.
Interesting Facts for Kids 9: What is the Diet of Desert Scorpion?
Desert scorpions are carnivorous animals and being nocturnal, they hunt and feed at night. The Desert Scorpion is an aggressive creature that heads directly into the habitat area of insects, attacking them from burrows. Despite being nocturnal, Desert Scorpions will venture out during the day following rainfall as this is the best time to catch their prey. This type of animal eats whatever it can get, and eats heavily when food is available. Some even feed on lizards and rodents. The Desert Scorpion is able to control its metabolic activity.
Interesting Facts for Kids 10: How do Desert Scorpions eat?
The Desert Scorpion has very sharp pincers that can capture even the slightest motion. They clasp onto anything that can be eaten and inject it with venom from its stinger. Their venom quickly paralyzes their prey. Desert Scorpions eat their food using their claws. The process is slow and steady and involves them placing food into their mouths using the claws.

Interesting Facts for Kids 11: What are the adaptations of a Desert Scorpion?
Desert Scorpions have learned to adapt to desert environments very well. This creature is able to obtain water from its prey, allowing it to survive without water for more than a year. This type of arachnid can preserve water well as it is a nocturnal animal which manages to avoid sunlight. The thick exoskeleton protects the Desert Scorpion and also helps to prevent water loss from the body, as does its waxy outer coating.
The Desert Scorpion has the ability to control its metabolic activity meaning that when food is unavailable, their body automatically reduces its rate of metabolic activity.
The Desert Scorpion has hair on its body that plays an important role as it acts as a temperature sensor. This is vital for survival in extreme climate conditions as the animal knows when to move into hiding. Their hair also detects air and ground vibrations which helps the animal to identify the location of its prey.
Interesting Facts for Kids 12: What is the Lifespan of Desert Scorpion?
Due to its predators, the average lifespan of a Desert Scorpion is about 3 to 8 years. Those kept in captivity have been known to live longer.
Interesting Facts for Kids 13: Sting of the Desert Scorpion
The venom of the Desert Scorpion paralyses its prey and converts its internal elements to liquid form. The Desert Scorpion can only feed on liquids and its venom helps to achieve this. The venom constitution of each scorpion species varies greatly and therefore, means that some are in fact far more dangerous than others. Symptoms of a scorpion sting are characterized by local pain, burning sensation, red sting spot, numbness around the area, and swelling or tingling sensations.
Interesting Facts for Kids 14: What eats a Desert Scorpion?
One of the most interesting facts about the Desert Scorpion is that their predators include rodents such as rats. However, some species of Desert Scorpion are also capable of killing and eating such rodents! Snakes and larger lizards are a huge threat to the Desert Scorpion. Smaller scorpions are also picked up by birds, whilst larger ones have fewer predators. Being nocturnal, they are easy prey for night birds such as owls and bats. Desert Scorpions are cannibals and will even eat each other in the absence of food or in order to keep their territory. Sometimes, a female Desert Scorpion will eat the male species after consummating.
Humans are one of the biggest predators of scorpions. They are a delicacy in China where huge quantities are required to meet their needs. Desert Scorpions are also captured by humans and kept in glass cabinets as pets. Experts are looking into the venom of Scorpion species and testing for its capability in numbing pain and curing cancer.
Interesting Facts for Kids 15: How many eyes do Scorpions have?
Despite not being able to see very well, Scorpions have up to twelve eyes! They have one pair of eyes on the top of the cephalothorax and two to five pairs of eyes along the front corners of the cephalothorax.
Interesting Facts for Kids 16: 10 Facts about Desert Scorpions
• The Desert Scorpion has lots of eyes but its vision is not very good at all. • Desert Scorpions depend on smell and vibrations to maneuver around and stay away from danger. • Baby scorpions are called Scorplings and once born, they stay to their mothers back for the first week or so. • They can live for more than a year without food or water and rely entirely on their stored food reserves. • Female Desert Scorpions are larger than males. • The Desert Scorpion cannot survive without soil to burrow. • The Desert Scorpion does not have any bones, it is protected by an exoskeleton base. • Antivenoms are not available for all Desert Scorpion species. • Some scorpions can produce up to 100 young ones at a time. • Desert Scorpions are cannibals. They are solitary animals and will resort to eating one another if food supplies are low or if their territory becomes threatened.