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How much do you know about scorpions? See how many of
these questions sting you:
1. The Scorpion is a member of what scientific family?
A. Mollusca
B. Insecta
C. Arachnida
D. Crusteacea
2. All Scorpions are poisonous to humans.
A. True
B. False
3. The scorpion's main defense against predators is:
A. Venom in its stinging tail.
B. Its bite.
C. It excretes a powerful stench.
D. Its armored carapace.
4. Scorpions mainly sense their environment through:
A. Fine hairs located all over their body.
B. Their six to twelve eyes.
C. Slit organs that pick up scent and vibration.
D. All of the Above.
5. What strange, weird, unique thing do Scorpions do?
A. Fluoresce under UV light.
B. Emit a loud hissing and rattling when threatened.
C. Leap three feet in any direction when startled.
D. Fling their stinger and stick it into their enemies like an arrow.
6. Scorpions are native to what inhabited continent?
A. Africa
B. South America
C. All Inhabited Continents
D. Europe
7. Scorpions are active during:
A. The Day
B. The Night
C. Both
8. How old was the oldest documented Scorpion when it died?
A. 1 year
B. 5 years
C. 10 years
D. 25 years
9. How long can a scorpion grow to be?
A. 4.6 inches
B. 6.8 inches
C. 8.3 inches
D. 10.2 inches
10. Scorpions hibernate when it gets cold.
A. True
B. False
Answers:
1. Answer: C. Arachnida - Despite the common
misunderstanding, the scorpion is not an insect or what is
commonly referred to as a bug. It is in fact more closely
related to its cousin the spider.
2. Answer: B. False - There are only twenty-five scorpions
out of fifteen hundred species that are actually poisonous
to humans. Most only have venom that is only powerful enough
to disable their prey, not anything larger than they are.
3. Answer: D. Its armored carapace - Although many people
are terrified of scorpion stings, it is not their main
defense against their predators the birds and lizards.
4. Answer: D. All of the Above - Scorpions actually sense
their prey using fine hairs along their body, and on their
legs, body and pedipalps they have slit organs that pick up
scent and vibration (chemoreceptor and mechanoreceptors).
Despite their multiple eyes they are extremely nearsighted.
They can detect light levels with their eyes, especially low
light, to help the scorpion navigate at night and escape the
sun in the day. Scorpions also have special organs
(pectines) on the underside of their body that detect
texture and scents along the ground.
5. Answer: A. Fluoresce under UV light - Scorpion hunters
use handheld UV lights at night to find weird green glowing
scorpions.
6. Answer: C. All Inhabited Continents - Scorpions are
native to all continents except for Antarctica.
7. Answer: B. The Night - Scorpions are nocturnal, meaning
that they are active during the night and do most of their
hunting, wandering and mating during the night hours.
8. Answer: D. 25 years - Scorpions live on average two to
ten years under good conditions, but the longest living
scorpion lived to be twenty-five years old.
9. Answer: C. 8.3 inches - The largest scorpion on record is
8.3 inches in length (21 cm). That is long enough, don't you
think?
10. Answer: A. True - Scorpions are more active in hotter
climates and that is usually where you will find them.
During the colder season some scorpions actually go into a
hibernation-like state to preserve themselves for warmer
times.
More on Scorpions
& Invertebrates
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