67: Scorpions

I write to you from Arapahoe, Ute, and Cheyenne land. I am interested in learning about the different animals that live in the place where I was born. Before we start with today’s animal, I want to emphasize that biological classification as understood by western society has its roots in racism, sexism, and transphobia – here’s a good explainer about why.

I’ve mustered the ability to stare at a screen some more, and it’s because I am so excited to learn about today’s type of animal – scorpions!

Scorpions are arachnids and have a chemical structure in their exoskeletons that make them glow neon under ultraviolet light. They’re one of the most instantly recognizable arachnids, with their stinger-tipped, tail-like abdomen and enlarged pedipalps that form pinchers. Arachnid pedipalps – their second pair of appendages – often have specialized usages, acting as sensory organs for spiders and tools for movement in crabs.

Colorado has three species of scorpions: the common striped bark scorpion, the northern desert hairy scorpion, and the northern scorpion. Luckily for us, none of them are venomous, and the internet informs me that it will feel like a bite or sting from any other stinging insect if one of these three gets you. The largest of these, the northern desert hairy, is about five inches (almost 13 cm) long, and lives in limited parts of the Western Slope, notably around Dinosaur National Monument. It is large enough that it can eat rodents, unlike the other two, which dine on invertebrates. The northern scorpion also lives on the Western Slope, and is in fact the scorpion species with the most northerly distribution in the world – they can be found all the way in Alberta! The third variety is the most common in the US, and lives on the eastern side of the Rockies, with its furthest north range being about I-70.

Scorpions give live birth – a very rare move amongst the arachnids. They carry their young on their backs for about a week before venturing out to forage on their own. Their mating is… complicated. This document from Colorado State University devotes several paragraphs to it. They also have a fascinating fossil history. They are oldest extant and oldest known variety of arachnid, with fossils dating around 450 million years old. Oh, and during the Paleozoic there were sea scorpions who were 7 feet long. In case you were planning a time travel expedition and wanted to know which ancient seas to avoid. Naturally they lived in Australia.