These ancient scorpions were aquatic arthropods that lived in swamps and estuaries and breathed through gill structures instead of the “book lungs” found in today’s scorpions. Patient, opportunistic predators, Texas cave scorpions feed primarily on cave crickets, and despite their fearsome appearance, they are reclusive creatures that lash out only if accosted. According to David Sissom, a biology professor at West Texas A&M University, there are about 1,500 known scorpion species worldwide, and the species count continues to grow as experts discover and classify new scorpions. They use sharp, protruding jaw-like structures (called chelicerae) to break up prey into manageable pieces, which they hold with their pincers (or chelae) at the end of arm-like pedipalps. They also suggest applying pesticides around doors, windows, eaves and other potential points of entry. The eighth sign of the Zodiac, Scorpio embodies strength, passion and jealousy. I was stung once by a scorpion (most likely C. vittatus) while gathering firewood — a sharp burning sensation similar to a wasp or bee sting. All scorpions produce venom and use it to immobilize or kill their prey and to defend themselves against predators. Peering under rocks and in crevices, Sprouse and Turner spot several P. reddelli with their headlamps while I illuminate them with an ultraviolet (UV) flashlight. “This scorpion is yellowish-tan with two dark stripes that run along the back,” she said. Scorpions sting an estimated 100,000 people a year in Mexico, resulting in up to 800 deaths annually. As a charismatic flagship species, scorpions are vital to the equilibrium of our food webs. If you travel to Mexico, watch out for scorpions. “Scorpions are efficient predators, and they are remarkable in the way they look and behave,” Moellendorf says. How and why scorpions emerged from the oceans millions of years ago to become terrestrial and predominantly desert-dwelling creatures remains a mystery. “Striped bark scorpions can get up to 2½ inches in length.”. Sprouse finds a large adult scorpion on the cave floor, and it glows an eerie teal-green under UV light. Follow label directions for dosage, mixing and application methods. that it’s just random evolution. Scorpions don’t seem to like either very cold or very hot temperatures, Keck said. P. reddelli is one of two scorpion species occurring in Central Texas. Striped Bark Scorpion. Texas has 18 species of scorpions, but only the striped bark scorpion occurs throughout the state and is the most common species in Central Texas, she said. Then the male grasps the female’s pedipalps, and they begin an elaborate dance called a promenade à deux as the male leads the female around and around for about 30 minutes while searching for a suitable place to deposit his spermatophore to fertilize his mate. Scorpions have up to a dozen eyes (one pair on the top of the head and other pairs on the front edges of the head) and use eyesight to navigate and detect objects around them, even by starlight. These dark-colored, troglophilic scorpions dwell in caves, grottos and other limestone karst features along the Balcones Escarpment. Paradoxically, scorpion venom can help save lives. “Scorpions exhibit some of the lowest evaporation rates of all animals, and they get much of their water from their prey,” says Sissom. “Scorpions have existed for many millions of years, outliving the dinosaurs. “How much it hurts depends on how you react to pain.”. A complex cocktail of neurotoxins, organic compounds and tissue-penetrating enzymes, scorpion venom varies in potency from relatively mild to excruciatingly painful, even potentially deadly. Texas has 18 species of scorpions, but only the striped bark scorpion occurs throughout the state and is the most common species in Central Texas, she said. Deep inside a wild cave near Austin, I search for something that most people find abhorrent: scorpions. I expect it to scurry away, but it remains motionless. Considering what we do to the environment, they are surviving even the human race.”, © 2005-2020 Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Accessibility “They have long lives, a low reproductive rate, complex mating behaviors and a long gestation period. Big Bend National Park, for example, is home to 15 species, and Baja California, a scorpion hot spot, hosts more than 60 species. More than 4,000 years ago, Babylon­ian astronomers identified Scorpio as one of the 12 constellations. Scientists have studied scorpion fluorescence since the 1940s, but a definitive explanation of the phenomenon remains elusive. , Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist, Bexar County. They emerge at night to hunt and feed on a diverse arthropod menu of insects, arachnids and other scorpions. Notorious for their painful sting and noxious venom, they sometimes invade our homes and even our nightmares. The other, Centruroides vittatus, commonly known as the striped bark scorpion due to the dark stripes on its tan carapace, ranges widely across Texas, the midsection of the United States and northern Mexico. The scorpion’s segmented tail, or metasoma, is armed with a formidable telson containing venom glands and a barb that pierces and injects venom like a hypodermic needle. Most scorpion stings inflict localized pain and swelling that may subside in an hour or two and can be eased with a cold compress and analgesics. Many scorpion species have specific micro-habitats and ranges, and their disappearance in the wild sends a distress signal of habitat degradation that ultimately will affect all forms of life, including humans. Venomous: Yes, but … Some scorpion species like C. vittatus live for three to five years, while others, such as the giant desert hairy scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis) of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, may live 20 to 25 years in the wild. SE Region Row Crop Initiative Grain and Cotton Marketing Update: Online Zoom, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc8xY2YuOfM. Matt Turner, a board member of the Texas Cave Management Association, and Peter Sprouse, a longtime Austin caver, karst invertebrate expert and environmental consultant, guide me through the cave. What sets it apart from the other scorpions are the two dark stripes across its back with a dark triangle on its head. “Scorpions are fascinating to research and easy to find,” Sissom says. Today, scientists, not shamans and astrologers, study the secret lives of scorpions to understand the vital roles they play in our ecosystems. “Usually it’s sufficient to apply ice packs on the area where the sting occurred to reduce pain and swelling,” she said. In Greek mythology, an avenging scorpion killed Orion, the son of Zeus. “If you experience any weird symptoms, such as tingling in the tongue or shortness of breath,” advises Moellendorf, “seek medical treatment, because you might be experiencing an allergic reaction or anaphylactic shock.”. They also navigate and find prey and mates by using sensory hairs and a pair of comb-like sensory structures (called pectines) between the last pair of legs. 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