“A Scorpion Experiment of Awesomeness””

By: Rupert Arnav, Zach, and Parker

What is the relationship between scorpion defensive behavior and habitat?
Research: Desert Hairy Scorpions:
The Desert hairy scorpion lives in deserts in the U.S.A Diet:The desert scorpion usually eats
large insects, spiders, and small vertebrates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrurus_arizonensis

Desert Hairy Scorpions: Behavior

They are more active in the summer. They are nocturnal which means they only are awake in the night.
They use rocks for protection against the heat and are dormant in the winter. They hunt alone and
usually wait inside their burrow and ambush prey with their stinger once the prey is in range.

Asian Giant Forest Scorpion

The Asian Forest Scorpion lives in moist places ranging from India to
Malaysia. They primarily live under rocks and logs. Rounded bark skins are also a
favorite type of hiding places. Their diet consists of worms and roaches, and
occasionally small insects. Asian Forest Scorpions glow in the dark and are more
aggressive than the Emperor Scorpion. They almost never sting, and their venom
is mild. They are more likely to use their pincers than their stingers, making them
less dangerous.

Baja Californian Bark Scorpion:

Baja Californian Bark Scorpions are NOT the most dangerous scorpion in the
USA. With a handsome bright yellow back, BCB Scorpions’ venom can kill, but they
rarely sting anyone. They prefer not to burrow, seeking shelter in trees instead. They
eat small insects feasting on a huge variety, and live in Baja, California.

Procedure:
• Ready both scorpions
• Poke each one with the same method, preferably with the same tube.
• Take pictures of the different defense pose.
• Record results.
• Write conclusion.
Materials
• Small straw
• Asian Forest Scorpion and Desert Hairy Scorpion
• An enclosure
• A camera (to take pictures)

EXPERIMENT:
Test 1
Desert Hairy Scorpion “Harry”
when poke with plastic straw
Back moves middle moves
stinger moves
sides look like going to attack

Asian Giant Scorpion “Agent Fatty”

does nothing when you poke it

Test 2
Desert hairy scorpion “Harry”
He tried to fight the straw when he was poked
Asian Giant Scorpion “Agent Fatty”
When he was poked in the middle, he tried to run away

Hypothesis:

Rupert: I think both scorpions would back away, and maybe fight the tube,
too.
Zach: I thought the desert scorpion would sting when you touch it.
Arnav: I thought the Asian Giant Scorpion would sting you when poked it
because it seemed aggressive.
Parker: I think the Giant Asian Forest Scorpion will run into the tube

RESULTS:
PICTURES!!!!!!: (and notes)

The Desert Hairy Scorpion after being poked. Its stinger rose, and its pincers went
into fighting position.
The Asian Forest Scorpion after being poked. It looked less threatening, but the
pincers rose in warning.

The Asian Forest Scorpion, during test 2. We use a thin, long, plastic tube to
gently prod scorpion.

The Desert Hairy Scorpion in full defense/attack stance.

The Desert Hairy Scorpion after Test 1, hiding under the log.

Desert Hairy Scorpion during Test 1.

Desert Hairy Scorpion after second test

The Asian Forest Scorpion after test 2, still in semi-defense mode.

Asian Forest Scorpion during Test 1.
Notes: 1st Giant Asian scorpion is a lot calmer but the second Giant Asian forest
scorpion we tested looked like it could have attacked if needed.

Hypothesis:

Rupert: I think both scorpions would back away, and maybe fight the tube,
too.
Zach: I thought the desert scorpion would sting when you touch it.
Arnav: I thought the Asian Giant Scorpion would sting you when poked it
because it seemed aggressive.
Parker: I think the Giant Asian Forest Scorpion will run into the tube

Conclusion: Looking at our results, Rupert’s original hypothesis was partly correct.
One way we know it is partly correct is, that the scorpions both made strong defense
poses but didn’t attempt to fight the tube that much. We think this happened because
the scorpions didn’t see the tube as a real threat, so didn’t fight it. But the defense
poses were still strong. Another interesting that that happened was that both scorpions
weren’t ready for the experiment. As soon as we poked them, they showed a defense,
then backed away. They were reluctant to attack. I think this was because they didn’t
see the tube as an actual threat. In conclusion, it turns out that Desert Hairy Scorpions
and Asian Forest Scorpions have strong attack poses, despite they are harmless.
Despite the similarities they are very different. They’re different because Asian Forest
Scorpions are very gentle, and Desert Hairy Scorpions are not. If I were to do this again,
two things I would change be to test more scorpions and to prod them in the exact same
way.