scorpion

a kind of animal – arachnid {pronunciation – the letters ‘ch’ rhyme with the letter ‘K’ in King} (‘arachnid’ = an animal with two body parts and four pairs (8) legs) – nocturnal (= active at night) – insectivore (feeds on insects), venomous (= having poison in the sting) with hard exoskeleton (= hard outer cover) – related to spiders, mites, ticks – flat segmented body in different colours, depending on the kind, two parts of the body – head and abdomen – two strong large pincers (claws), two eyes on the head and two to five pairs (4 to 10) small eyes on the side of the head, four pairs (8) of legs, long segmented tail with the blob-shaped last segment developed into an upturned sting; size: (varies widely) from  ½-1 inch in length and a few grams in weight to 8 inch in length and 50-60 grams; feeds on (eats) small species — insects, spiders and small worms, large species – insects, spiders, centipede, millipede, small lizards, and even mice; lives for 4-25 years depending on the species and the other natural factors – habitat, food supply, weather and predators; numerous species – some authorities put the number at 1,300, some others at 1,500 and yet some others at 2000, found on all continents, except Antarctica, and the country New Zealand

male ~~  male

female ~~ female

baby ~~ instar

group ~~ bed, nest, colony

voice (call) ~~ —

home ~~ burrow (only some species) {most species live under rocks, rotten tree long, gaps in rocks and walls of man-made structures, etc.}

movement ~~ crawl

Special Features:

Though it is painful and some people may develop some allergies, the scorpion sting, as opposed to the popular belief, is not that serious to people!  The scorpion uses its sting to stun or paralyse its prey (= small animals it kills and eats)!

The exception could be the North Africa’s ‘deathstalker’ or ‘yellow fat-tailed scorpion’, which is dangerous even to humans, and its sting can kill a person!!

A scorpion has two strong pincers (claws), like that of a crab, to hold the prey, a sharp sting at the end of the tail to inject the venom (= poison) into the prey, and sharp teeth-like organs in the mouth to tear up the prey!

A scorpion has two main eyes on the top of the head and 4 to 10 small eyes at the sides of the head, which work well in the dark light, and are useful for the scorpion because it hunts mostly at night!

Some scorpions that live in caves and in the leaf litter on the ground have no eyes at all!

Most species of scorpion have hairs on the legs and abdomen with which they can sense the movements (vibrations) from the ground that are caused by their prey or enemies!

Scorpions are luminescent (= glow in the dark) in the ultraviolet light!!

Scorpions give birth to live young, and the female carries its litter of instars on its back until they are ready to go on their own!

In ancient Egypt the scorpion was associated with god of desert, storm and chaos!

The Persian legendary (imaginary) monster ‘manticore’ is often shown with a scorpion tail!

Scorpions in modern societies are associated with treachery (cheating)!!

The scorpion has been mentioned in the fables, stories for children, and in several horror comics, cartoons and motions pictures (films/movies)!

Irrespective of its infamous reputation, the scorpion is used as a logo for some sport and business establishments!

Figures of Speech:

1.

scorpion (noun)  =

(a)  a treacherous person (= a person who cheats those who trust them)

(b)  the 8^th sign of Zodiac, Scorpio, in astrology

(c)  a person who was born in the sign of Scorpio

2.

rock-scorpion  =  a baby born on Gibraltar, a small ‘crown colony’ of the UK, adjacent to Spain

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