Species group · Arachnids
Scorpions
WAnimals has 7 species of scorpion, spread across 5 families (Bothriuridae, Buthidae, Diplocentridae, Scorpionidae, Vaejovidae).
- 7 species
- 5 families
- 115 countries
- 178 parks
- Length
- 2 cm – 20 cm
- Lifespan
- 8 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 7.
All 7 species of scorpions on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Common Yellow Scorpion
Buthus occitanus
Fattailed Scorpion
Androctonus australis
Jericho Scorpion
Nebo hierichonticus
Common Emperor Scorpion
Pandinus imperator
Buenos Aires Scorpion
Bothriurus bonariensis
Bark Scorpion
Centruroides sculpturatus
Southern Unstriped Scorpion
Vaejovis carolinianus
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 115 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…
The commonest scorpion in Iberia; its sting is painful but not deadly.
Like all scorpions, it glows a fluorescent blue-green under ultraviolet light, a phenomenon whose function is still debated.
The females give birth to live young that climb onto their back and ride there until the first moult.
Its scientific name literally means man-killer.
From Fattailed Scorpion
It withstands doses of radiation that would be lethal to a mammal, a tolerance documented in several desert scorpions.
From Fattailed Scorpion
Its toxins are studied intensively as a pharmacological tool: some block particular ion channels with a precision that is hard to achieve with synthetic molecules.
From Fattailed Scorpion
As in many scorpions, its outsized pincers make up for a weak venom: it grips and crushes its prey rather than injecting toxins.
From Jericho Scorpion
It survives long periods without food, a common adaptation in desert scorpions, where prey turns up unpredictably.
From Jericho Scorpion