COOL SCORPION FACTS
Added on: 11th Apr 2016
THERE ABOUT 1750 DIFFERENT SCORPION SPECIES
WITH 13 EXTANT FAMILIES KNOWN TO SCIENTISTS
ALL SCORPIONS ARE VENOMOUS BUT ONLY ABOUT
25 SPECIES ARE KNOWN TO HAVE VENOM
CAPABLE OF KILLING A HUMAN BEING
SCORPIONS ARE ONE OF THE OLDEST ANIMALS ON EARTH.
THEIR EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY GOES BACK TO THE
SILURIAN ERA 430 MILLION YEARS AGO. THEY EVOLVED
FROM GIANT SCORPION-LIKE CREATURES THAT EMERGED
FROM THE SEA AND HAVE REMAINED MORPHOLOGICALLY
UNCHANGED UNTIL NOW
THEIR LIFESPAN IS NOT VERY LONG THOUGH.
SCORPIONS USUALLY LIVE UP TO 8 YEARS IN THE WILD
SCORPIONS HAVE EXCELLENT ADAPTATION ABILITIES.
THEY ARE FOUND ON ALL CONTINENTS WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF ANTARCTICA
ALTHOUGH THEY RESEMBLE CRUSTACEANS LIKE
CRAYFISH AND CRABS, SCORPIONS ARE ACTUALLY
MORE CLOSELY RELATED TO TICKS, MITES AND SPIDERS
SCORPIONS CAN SLOW DOWN THEIR METABOLISM
WHEN FOOD IS RARE. THEY CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT
FOOD FOR UP TO ONE YEAR
SCORPIONS RANGE IN SIZE GREATLY – THE SMALLEST
SPECIES IS JUST ABOUT 9 MM (0.35 IN) LONG WHILE
THE LARGEST SPECIES CAN REACH OVER 20 CM (8 IN)
SCORPIONS TEND TO LIVE IN AREAS WITH
TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 68 TO 99 DEGREES F
(20 TO 37 C) BUT THEY CAN HANDLE MUCH MORE
EXTREME TEMPERATURES. RESEARCHERS HAVE EVEN
FROZEN SCORPIONS OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO PUT THEM
IN THE SUN THE NEXT DAY AND WATCH THEM THAW
OUT AND WALK AWAY
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