There are over 2,000 different species of scorpions in the
world found everywhere except for New Zealand
and Antarctica. They belong to the order Scorpiones and
are members of the Arachnida class. They are comprised of two main parts: the
body or opisthosoma and the head or cephalothorax.
The most distinguishing feature of any type of scorpion is
the tail also referred to as the metasoma. It is made up of six different
sections with the last segment containing the telson or stinger. Inside the
stinger are two glands that hold the poison. This is excreted through the
hypodermic aculeus which is a sharp point that injects the poison into the
scorpion's prey. The scorpion body consists of a tough exoskeleton which they
shed frequently.
Scorpions exhibit expressive courtship rituals and most
species reproduce in the usual male female pattern. After mating, male scorpions
exit the scene quickly to avoid being eaten alive by the female of the species.
A baby scorpion is called a scorpling.