Arachnids · Scorpiones · Vaejovidae

Southern Unstriped Scorpion

Vaejovis carolinianus

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

A small reddish-brown scorpion of the south-eastern United States, the only one native to the Appalachian region. Unlike most scorpions, it lives in damp temperate forest, hidden under bark, logs and stones.

Size

2 cm – 3.5 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

Temperate forestCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Temperate forest Arachnid

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Fun facts

It breaks the cliché that scorpions are desert animals: it thrives in mountain rainforest with cold winters.
Its sting is painful but comparable to a wasp's and of no medical significance.
It is the only scorpion native to the eastern United States, and it dismantles the idea that scorpions are desert animals: it lives in moist mountain forests, among leaf litter.
It is small and unobtrusive, dark brown in colour, and goes unnoticed.
Its sting is painful but comparable to a wasp's, with no serious consequences.
It tolerates cold far better than desert scorpions and overwinters beneath leaf litter and rocks.
Like all scorpions, it fluoresces under ultraviolet light, and that is the most practical way to survey it in the forest at night.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Invertebrate - chitin exoskeleton (arachnid)
Habitat & environment: Leaf litter, fallen logs and rock outcrops of the humid forests of the Appalachians

Sources consulted: Universidad de Florida, Featured Creatures; Sissom, revisiones de Vaejovidae; Polis, The Biology of Scorpions