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Although it is confusing, when we speak of scorpions and scorpions, we are referring to the same invertebrate animal. That is why in this Green Ecologist article, we will use both names as synonyms and we will delve into a part of the amazing and long life cycle of the scorpion or scorpion: specifically, we will talk about its birth.
If you are interested in knowing how they reproduce and how scorpions are bornWe invite you to continue reading this interesting article in which we talk about it and about more related curiosities, such as the number of babies they can have and much more.
How is the reproduction of scorpions
Before talking about their birth, let's start by knowing how scorpions reproduce. Unlike spiders, with whom they are evolutionarily related because they are invertebrate animals and belong to the same class, arachnids or Arachnida, scorpions are viviparous animals. So, do scorpions lay eggs? The answer is no. Being viviparous animals, the offspring develop in the womb, that is the reason why they do not lay eggs. Here you can learn more about viviparous animals: what they are, characteristics and examples.
Now, the reproduction process of scorpions is quite long.
- It begins with a recognition between the male and the female from their pheromones. Then continue to the complex courtship or mating ritual carried out by the male and consists of trying to convince the female to accept the mating. Although, what happens in each ritual depends on the species of scorpion, in general, the male usually approaches the female and takes her pedipalps, that is, her pincers, and from there a kind of dance develops between them. which can last several hours.
- Because most species of scorpions reproduce sexually, the reproductive process involves the transfer of sperm from the male to the female. At a certain moment of the courtship, more precisely during the dance between the two, the male deposits the spermatophore, which is a structure that contains the sperm, in a specific place. The female is the one who introduces the spermatophore into her genital cavity. If this happens, later, the sperm is released inside the female and fertilization occurs.
- After fertilization, the gestation period that can last between 7 and 9 months. It is curious that, if the female considers that the conditions in the environment are not conducive to the birth of the young, she can extend the gestation period to approximately 24 months.
How scorpions are born
After the gestation period, the birth of the scorpions. As we mentioned before, scorpions are viviparous, therefore, females give birth to live young and quite developed, but not quite. During birth, the female takes the baby scorpions and positions them on the back of her body, that is, places them on his back. That is where they will finish developing.
There is a popular myth, in which it is believed that the young eat their mother. It is worth clarifying that this is not true. The confusion originates from the fact that the young shed their integuments and remains of them remain on the back of the mother. The reality is that the hatchling does not have fully developed structures to kill another individual.
Here below you can see a video about how scorpions are born and the female carries them on her back while they still have to develop something more until they are independent.
How many babies do scorpions have?
Continuing with the reproduction of scorpions and their birth, we now respond to a frequent question when talking about these arachnids: how many scorpions are born from a female?
The truth is that the answer to this question is amazing. Although the number of young depends on the species of scorpion, in general, a female of this invertebrate animal is capable of giving birth to a hundred of pups in a single delivery. Incredible!
Characteristics of baby scorpions
To learn more about scorpion hatchlings, here are some of their main characteristics:
- After birth, scorpion pups present a whitish coloration and they are very weak as to function for themselves. It is because of that remain on the back of the female's body for a time.
- During that time they share with their mother, they shed their dermis a considerable number of times, depending on the species in question. With the successive molts, the scorpions grow, acquire an increasingly darker coloration, strengthen their exoskeleton and are able to fend for themselves. It is estimated that they require between 5 and 7 changes in total, depending on the species, to reach maturity.
- On the other hand, pup nutrition is complex. As for what scorpions eat when they are young, we could say that it is a set of foods: the yolk sac that is attached at birth and nutrients that the mother provides from her own dermis.
How long does a wild and captive scorpion live?
The life span of a scorpion obviously depends on the species we are talking about. However, generally speaking, a scorpion can live between 2 and 6 years in the wild. Of course, in the wild, you have to take into account the presence of predators, parasites and other diseases, food availability, environmental conditions and more. On the other hand, in captive conditions, where the factors just described are controlled, scorpions can live more than 20 years.
Now that you have learned all this about the reproduction and birth of scorpions and their first weeks of life, we encourage you to discover the different types of scorpions or scorpions.
If you want to read more articles similar to How scorpions are born, we recommend that you enter our category of Animal Curiosities.
