Scorpions: Book scorpions generally range in length from Vs to V4 inch (3—6 mm). They resemble true scorpions except that they have no tail or sting and for this reason they are sometimes called false scorpions. They usually feed on small insects and spiders that are killed by an injection of poison from the book scorpion's pincers. Mating occurs in the spring and the small eggs are attached to the female's body. After hatching, the young remain attached to the female where they are nourished by substances from glands in her body. In some species the females, with their young attached, move about freely, but in others, the females construct cocoonlike shelters. Book scorpions also build shelters in which to pass the winter or molt.
Divisions: Scorpions have two body regions —the cephalothorax, and a broadly attached abdomen of seven segments with a long narrow tail that ends in a poison sting.
Scorpions have been known to live for several years, but their maximum life span is unknown. |