A few days ago I needed a glass vase for a project. When I pulled it down from the shelf, look who I found inside:
Fortunately scorpions can’t climb glass, so it was definitely trapped in there.
Although the lighting was less than ideal, it was a good opportunity to see the scorpion parts close up.
If you are interested in learning more about scorpion anatomy, try our previous post about scorpions.
Scorpions are most active during the summer in Arizona. They hunt for insects at night and hide during the day. People usually don’t like them very much because they can deliver a painful – and potentially health-threatening if it is a bark scorpion – dose of venom when they sting.
Scorpions have an intriguing side, however. One really cool thing about scorpions is that they have a natural fluorescence. They glow at night under ultraviolet lights. See, for example, in this video:
Still not convinced scorpions can be interesting? Wired Magazine recently had an article about a doctor who is researching the use of a component of scorpion venom to mark brain tumors. Fascinating!
