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Wildlife Guide · Every continent except Antarctica & Deserts, grassland, forest, caves and mountains

Scorpion

Order Scorpiones — roughly 2,500 described species in about 22 families

440 million years old, glows under UV, and only about 25 species can seriously harm a person.

Order page — most species unassessed; several cave and island endemics are threatened
Desert scorpion with arched tail on warm sand

Image: AI-generated educational wildlife portrait — World Animal Rescue Network · AI visualisation, not a photograph

In brief

Scorpions are arachnids of the order Scorpiones — about 2,500 species — that have existed for over 430 million years, fluoresce under ultraviolet light, and give birth to live young; only around 25 species have venom dangerous to humans.

By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated

Scorpions are arachnids — relatives of spiders, ticks and mites — with a body plan that has barely changed since the Silurian, more than 430 million years ago. Grasping pedipalps at the front, a segmented tail carrying a venomous stinger at the back, book lungs for breathing, and a cuticle that fluoresces bright blue-green under ultraviolet light for reasons still debated. Roughly 2,500 species are described. Almost all are nocturnal ambush predators of insects and other invertebrates, and almost all are medically trivial to humans: of the full order, only around 25 species have venom capable of killing a healthy adult. The reputation vastly outruns the risk.

~2,500

Described scorpion species

~25

Species with venom dangerous to a healthy adult

430+ Myr

Age of the scorpion body plan in the fossil record

Live young

All scorpions bear live young, carried on the mother's back

Figures sourced from CITES Appendices, IUCN Red List .

Scorpion: Quick Facts

Vital statistics and key facts about the Scorpion
Described species ~2,500
Medically dangerous ~25 species
Fossil record 430+ million years
Reproduction Viviparous — live birth, young carried on the back
Fluorescence All species glow blue-green under UV
Trade status Emperor scorpion and relatives on CITES Appendix II

Scientific Classification

Scientific classification of the Scorpion
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Arachnida
Order Scorpiones
Families ~22, including Buthidae and Scorpionidae
Notable genera Pandinus, Androctonus, Leiurus, Centruroides, Tityus

Conservation Status

IUCN Status
Varies by species — order page
Population
Not applicable at order level
Trend
Unknown for most species; cave and island endemics under greatest pressure
Assessed
Assessed species-by-species; most species unassessed
CITES
Appendix II for Pandinus spp. (emperor scorpion and relatives)

Habitat loss and collection for the pet trade are the main documented pressures. Narrow-range cave and island endemics are the species of greatest concern.

Did you know?

Every scorpion so far tested glows blue-green under ultraviolet light — an entire ancient order sharing a trick nobody has yet fully explained.

Key Facts: Scorpion

  • Scorpions are arachnids, not insects — eight legs, two body regions, no antennae and no wings.
  • All scorpions fluoresce blue-green under UV light; the function is still not settled.
  • Every species is venomous, but only around 25 are dangerous to healthy adults.
  • As a rule of thumb, large claws and a thin tail signal lower risk; small claws and a thick tail signal higher risk.
  • Scorpions give birth to live young, which ride on the mother's back until their first moult.
  • Some species survive a year without food and months without water — an extreme low-metabolism strategy.

An ancient, conservative body plan

Scorpions appear in the fossil record over 430 million years ago and are recognisably scorpions from the start. The design — pincered pedipalps for grasping, a flexible metasoma ending in a telson and stinger, comb-like pectines on the underside for sensing substrate texture and chemistry — has needed very little revision. They breathe with book lungs, detect airborne and substrate vibration through fine sensory hairs and slit organs in the leg cuticle, and hunt largely by touch and vibration rather than sight. Most species have poor vision despite having several pairs of eyes.

Venom, and the risk in proportion

Scorpion venom is a complex mixture of neurotoxic peptides, tuned in most species to subdue invertebrate prey. For the great majority of scorpions, a sting to a human produces local pain, swelling and numbness comparable to a wasp sting. A small number — mostly in the family Buthidae, including Androctonus, Leiurus, Centruroides and Tityus — carry venom that is medically significant, and scorpion envenomation is a genuine public-health issue in parts of North Africa, the Middle East, Mexico, Brazil and India, particularly for children. The rough guide is anatomical: heavy claws and a slender tail suggest a scorpion that subdues prey mechanically; slender claws and a thick, muscular tail suggest one that relies on potent venom.

Reproduction and maternal care

Scorpion courtship involves the promenade à deux, in which the male grasps the female's pedipalps and manoeuvres her over a spermatophore he has deposited on the ground. Gestation is long — months to over a year in some species — and all scorpions are viviparous, giving birth to live young rather than laying eggs. The newborn scorplings climb onto the mother's back and stay there until their first moult, protected and kept from desiccating. This level of maternal care is rare among arthropods and is one reason scorpion reproductive rates are low.

Survival strategy, and the pet trade

Scorpions are extreme energy minimisers. Many can lower their metabolic rate to a fraction of the arthropod norm, surviving a year without food and long periods without free water, which is what makes them so successful in deserts. It also makes them slow to recover from population losses. They are widely kept as pets, with emperor scorpions and related large species dominating the trade. The species is CITES Appendix II listed, largely because of collection pressure. Welfare needs are simple but non-negotiable: correct substrate depth for burrowing, appropriate humidity and heat gradient, secure housing and undisturbed moulting. Handling is unnecessary, stressful for the animal and the main cause of stings to keepers.

What WARN Does

WARN publishes free, sourced species education for the animals people fear as well as the ones they love. Fear-driven killing is a real conservation pressure on scorpions, snakes and spiders, and accurate information about which species actually pose a risk is the most effective thing that changes behaviour.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

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Scorpion: Frequently Asked Questions

Are scorpions insects?
No. Scorpions are arachnids, in the same class as spiders, ticks and mites. They have eight legs, two body regions and no antennae or wings; insects have six legs, three body regions and usually antennae and wings.

How dangerous are scorpions?
Far less than their reputation suggests. All scorpions are venomous, but of roughly 2,500 species only around 25 have venom capable of killing a healthy adult. Most stings cause localised pain and swelling similar to a wasp sting. Serious envenomation is a real public-health problem in specific regions, particularly for children.

Why do scorpions glow under UV light?
A compound in the hyaline layer of the cuticle fluoresces blue-green under ultraviolet light. The function is unresolved — proposed explanations include helping the scorpion detect light levels to decide whether to surface, confusing prey, or being a by-product of cuticle chemistry with no function at all.

How can you tell if a scorpion is dangerous?
As a rough guide, scorpions with large heavy pincers and a slender tail subdue prey mechanically and tend to have weaker venom; those with slender pincers and a thick, muscular tail rely on potent venom. It is a guideline, not a rule — identify the species where possible, and treat any sting in a high-risk region as medical.

Do scorpions lay eggs?
No. All scorpions give birth to live young. The newborn scorplings climb onto their mother's back and stay there until their first moult, which is unusually developed parental care for an arthropod.

Where do scorpions live?
Scorpions live in Every continent except Antarctica, Deserts, grassland, forest, caves and mountains, Absent from New Zealand and most far-northern latitudes. Scorpions are arachnids of the order Scorpiones — about 2,500 species — that have existed for over 430 million years, fluoresce under ultraviolet light, and give birth to live young; only around 25 species have venom dangerous to humans.

How long do scorpions live?
A precise wild lifespan for scorpions is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. Scorpions are arachnids of the order Scorpiones — about 2,500 species — that have existed for over 430 million years, fluoresce under ultraviolet light, and give birth to live young; only around 25 species have venom dangerous to humans. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

Sources & References

Population figures, conservation status and biological facts on this page are drawn from authoritative scientific and intergovernmental sources.

Terms used on this page

Plain-English definitions, from our wildlife and conservation glossary.

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