Whip scorpions may be the scariest looking creatures on the planet but the reality is they don’t do much harm. Whip scorpions resemble scorpions with long whip-like tails, but they are completely venom-free as they lack venom glandules completely. This species of scorpions is also known as vinegaroons.
How do they look like?
Whip scorpions look-alike to other scorpions but are not actual scorpions at all. Whip scorpions are arachnids, both spiders and scorpions, but they belong to the Uropygi, their own taxonomic system. Whip scorpions have the equivalent elongate and flattened body as scorpions and have oversized pincers to catch prey. Unlike other species of scorpions, whip scorpions don’t sting, nor they produce venom. Whip scorpions can be impressively big reaching a body length of 8 cm, adding another 7 cm of the big tail, you get a big buddy.
Classes of whip scorpions
- Kingdom – Animalia
- Phylum – Arthropoda
- Class – Arachnida
- Order – Uropygi
What do they eat?
Whip scorpions are midnight hunters that feed on pests and other creatures that are smaller in size. Whip scorpions’ first pair of legs are modified into long tentacles that they use to locate prey. Once they identify a potential meal, they grab the prey with their pincers and crush the victim with powerful chelicerae.
Whip scorpions life cycle
A creation with such a terrifying presence has exceptionally a tender love life. The male whip scorpions love their potential female mate with their front legs before granting her with the spermatophore.
As the breeding occurs, the female whip scorpion defends her eggs as they expand in a mucous sac. When the eggs hatch, the young scorpions climb onto their mother’s back, holding fast with special suckers. Once the young scorpions shed their skin for the first time, they leave their mother and she die.
Behavior
While whip scorpions can’t sting, they can and will defend themselves when frightened. Whip scorpions have a special gland at the base of their tail that enables them to produce and spray a defensive liquid. This defensive liquid is usually a mixture of acetic acid and octanoic acid. Make sure you are cautioned before encountering a vinegaroon.
