Range:

Its nocturnal habits allow it to withstand the extreme heat of the desert habitat of Mexico, California, Arizona, and extreme southern Utah and Nevada.

Rocks and burrows are used as retreats from the heat of the day.

Diet:

Its large size allows it to feed on other scorpions and a variety of other prey including desert insects, spiders, centipedes, and small vertebrates, such as baby lizards.

Reproduction/Lifecycle:

Following a courtship “dance” which may last several hours, the male deposits a spermatophore on the ground and maneuvers the female over it so she can pick it up. Scorpions give birth to live young, frequently having retained sperm from mating the previous year.

As the babies are born, they quickly crawl up mom’s pincers and legs onto her back where they will safely ride until their first molt, about one week. The giant hairy desert scorpion can live for 3-5 years.

Ecological Significance:

The desert scorpion burrows deep in the desert soil and often follows the moisture line, creating burrows as deep as 8 feet below the surface. They emerge from their burrows at night to hunt.

When threatened, it’ll resume a strong defensive posture, curling its body and tail high overhead and spreading its pincers. The stinging action is quick and accurate, but the sting is mild, causing localized swelling and pain, much like a honeybee sting.

The elf owl and other nocturnal birds, bats, small mammals, large spiders, centipedes, and lizards prey upon the desert scorpion.

Fun Facts:

Scorpions are the oldest known terrestrial arthropods, having been on earth for 430 million years.

The giant hairy desert scorpion is the largest scorpion in the United States reaching lengths of 4-6 inches. The sensory hairs of the pedipalps of the giant hairy desert scorpion can detect air movement up to a foot away. The tips of the legs have small organs that detect ground vibrations. The pectines are sensory organs which hang beneath the abdomen and trail on the ground. They are coated with chemosensors that are thought to alert the scorpion to approaching prey. Scorpions fluoresce under UV light.