WildView™

February 10, 2022

Scorpion Motherhood

- as seen by -

Martin Brogger @tinchobrogger

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The Burmeister’s scorpion, Bothriurus burmeisteri, inhabits central and northern Patagonia. It is most active on the surface during the spring and summer, remaining the rest of the year inactive and underground in galleries that it builds.

Scorpions are ovoviviparous. Eggs develop and hatch inside the female. The young are born toward the end of Argentina’s spring. In their first stage, the translucent tiny scorpions remain on the mother and do not feed. When they pass to their second stage, they descend from the mother and begin their independent life.

This species of arachnid has a venom that is relatively harmless to humans. It feeds on various other arthropods and annelids. There are even reports of it feeding on prickly geckos (Homonota darwinii), small reptiles endemic to Argentina.

I found this mother and her many offspring quite casually, when I was moving some rocks to support a camera trap for research on an island in a national marine park in Patagonia.

Nikon d7200

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