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Scorpions don’t only use their stings to kill their prey – they
use it to defend themselves against dangerous predators like
snakes, lizards and birds. Typically, the scorpion’s venom is only
powerful enough to kill small creatures, but there are around
30-40 species with a sting strong enough to kill a human.
Thankfully, humans aren’t on the scorpion’s menu (phew!) and
these quirky critters will only attack if they feel threatened.
Scorpions have been around since long before the dinosaurs,
(they’re pretty old), and scientists think they may even have
been the rst animals to move from water to land hundreds of
millions of years ago.
Prehistoric fossils of scorpions found in Scotland show that
their appearance hasn’t changed over the millennia. They have,
however, changed in size with today’s scorpions measuring half
the size of their ancient ancestors.
Scorpions
Psst! Did you know....
Certain molecules in the
exoskeleton absorb UV light and
emit it in different wavelengths
that are visible at night as a blue-
green glow?