Skip to main content

European Yellow-tailed Scorpion

Euscorpius flavicaudis
The European Yellow-tailed Scorpion is native to North Africa and Southern Europe. They have also been introduced to Great Britain and far off Uruguay. The colonies in the UK are the northernmost Scorpion colonies in the world!

This particular species is on the small side, as far as Scorpions go, though they are the largest in their genus. They typically top out at around 1.5in. They can be found in a whole mess of dry habitats, and are usually found living under stones and in various cracks and crevasses.

The Scorpions rarely leave their homes, but do so to mate during the summer months. Females will lay only one clutch each year, and will carry the juvenile scorpions on her back until they reach their first molt about a week after hatching. It will take two years for the young Scorpions to reach adulthood!

European Yellow-tailed Scorpions are ambush predators that patiently wait within their cracks, and then snatch up unsuspecting passerbys with their claws. They then consume their meals head first. Yum! Interestingly, they rarely use their stingers. Though they do have venom, it is weak and is not at all dangerous to healthy humans.
IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Europe, North Africa
Size : Length up to 1.7in (4.5cm)
Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Arachnida -- Order : Scorpiones
Family : Euscorpiidae -- Genus : Euscorpius -- Species : E. flavicaudis
Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 28, 2012 at 11:06 AM

    On Sunday 26 Feb 2012 I found a yellow-tailed scorpion in our back garden in West Molesey, Surrey. I'd previously read about them being found in / near Dover but never expected to find one so close to home! Took some pics. Presumably, if there's one then there has to be more...?!
    Does anyone know if scorpions have been found elswhere in Surrey?
    thanks N Coverdale

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed ...
Post a Comment
Read more