Introduction to Our Adoption : A Scorpion

Physical Description

• Scorpions are arthropods
• They have a total of eight legs
• They have two pedipalps
• Their tails has a venom-injecting barb
• Two venom glands that produce venoms are used in hunting and self defence

FUN FACT : Scorpions do not have bones, they have exoskeletons that are made of chitin, similar to the shell of a shrimp!

Anatomy

Exoskeleton

Scorpions have exoskeletons (external skeletons) that are made of a substance known as chitin, which is a tough, protective, and flexible molecule that's made of polysaccharide and nitrogen. Their exoskeleton functions like any other skeleton, by providing support, muscle attachment sites, etc. The difference is, the exoskeleton of a scorpion aids it by its functions in respiration and by providing exceptional resistance to water loss, which is critical to the survival of these arachnids in dry environments that they often inhibit.

The exoskeleton of a scorpion

Body

The body is divided into three segments :

1. The prosoma or cephalothorax (head)
2. The mesosoma (abdomen)
3. The metasoma (tail)

Each of the three segments contains key characteristics of scorpions:

1.The prosoma includes the eyes, mouth, and the characteristic pair of claws called pedipalps, which have pinchers on the end called chelae. The pedipalps are not legs, rather they are additional appendages used to grab and hold prey, mates, or a rival scorpion during competition.

2.The mesosoma is comprised of seven segments and contains 4 pairs of clawed walking legs, which enable scorpions to climb nearly any surface very well. The segments of the mesosoma contain the reproductive, respiratory, and other organs.

3.The metasoma is the familiar tail of the scorpion, which is comprised of five additional segments and terminates in the telson. The telson contains a pair of venom glands and a hypodermic aculeus or venom-injecting barb (stinger) that allows the scorpion to sting prey or predators or humans.