Behaviour

Scorpions are secretive creatures. Only when you know here to find them in an environment will you truly appreciate the population densities. They are often shy and reclusive that retreat to their shelters at the slightest disturbance. Scorpions are a good food source for many other animals. Because scorpion populations remain constant under normal conditions, they represent an available food source. Animals such as meercats, mongoose, owls, frogs, lizards, spiders and even other species of scorpions will readily prey on scorpions. Because of their stable populations, scorpions make a good indicator of the health of an environment.

They are often found in arid environments that other animals find difficult to survive in. Their success at inhabiting these environments is due to their behaviour more than their physical adaptation. Nocturnal tendencies mean that they are active during cooler times. Prey in the form of arthropods and small vertebrates are also active during these times so their activity patterns match those of their prey.  Many desert living species live under the ground or at the base of vegetation. Burrows provide a microhabitat that is cooler and more humid than the surface during the day. Burrows also provide protection from predators.

Scorpions are opportunistic predators that will tackle just about anything small enough for them to overpower. Invertebrates for a large part of their diet but small lizards and mice may also be taken. Fellow scorpions may also form a large part of other more aggressive scorpion’s diet. The less aggressive scorpions however have adapted strategies at avoiding these more aggressive scorpions. Many for instance lie off the ground in vegetation where large species find it difficult to move in. Some are active under different environmental conditions than their aggressive relatives.

During the colder months when prey is not as available or when the ground is covered with snow, scorpions retreat to their shelters. During harsh conditions, scorpions can simply wait it out. When favourable conditions return, mass emergencies of scorpions may occur. This mass emergence after harsh conditions may give rise to plague proportions of scorpions. Their changing of behavioural patterns in response to environmental conditions makes them very successful animals in many parts of the world.