melvynyeo on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/melvynyeo/art/Scorpion-Babies-570530122melvynyeo

Deviation Actions

melvynyeo's avatar

Scorpion Babies

By
Published:
4.3K Views

Description

Taken at night in Singapore.

Quote from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpion
Unlike the majority of species in the class Arachnida, which are oviparous, scorpions seem to be universally ovoviviparous. The young are born one by one after hatching and expelling the embryonic membrane, if any, and the brood is carried about on its mother's back until the young have undergone at least one moult. Before the first moult, scorplings cannot survive naturally without the mother, since they depend on her for protection and to regulate their moisture levels. Especially in species that display more advanced sociability (e.g. Pandinus spp.), the young/mother association can continue for an extended period of time. The size of the litter depends on the species and environmental factors, and can range from two to over a hundred scorplings. The average litter however, consists of around 8 scorplings.[38]

The young generally resemble their parents. Growth is accomplished by periodic shedding of the exoskeleton (ecdysis). A scorpion's developmental progress is measured in instars (how many moults it has undergone). Scorpions typically require between five and seven moults to reach maturity. Moulting commences with a split in the old exoskeleton just below the edge of the carapace (at the front of the prosoma). The scorpion then emerges from this split; the pedipalps and legs are first removed from the old exoskeleton, followed eventually by the metasoma. When it emerges, the scorpion's new exoskeleton is soft, making the scorpion highly vulnerable to attack. The scorpion must constantly stretch while the new exoskeleton hardens to ensure that it can move when the hardening is complete. The process of hardening is called sclerotisation. The new exoskeleton does not fluoresce; as sclerotisation occurs, the fluorescence gradually returns.
Image size
1600x1067px 1.36 MB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Shutter Speed
1/160 second
Aperture
F/16.0
Focal Length
100 mm
ISO Speed
320
Date Taken
Oct 16, 2015, 11:50:32 PM
Sensor Size
10mm
© 2015 - 2024 melvynyeo
Comments33
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
diamondsofmayhem's avatar
Never know where that random button will drop you off next.
Nice photo here! I've seen this first hand, actually. sometimes the litter can be much bigger...
It is however, quite creepy to look at. but such is nature sometimes. Am I right?