“The force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together … May the Force be with you.” – Ben Kenobi, in the movie, Star Wars
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Here in beautiful Lake County we can find innumerable insects, many of which are known to be beneficial, such as bees, ladybugs, dragonfly nymphs and lacewings.
According to the Encyclopedia Smithsonian, “Insects also probably have the largest biomass of the terrestrial animals. At any time, it is estimated that there are some 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive. In the United States, the number of described species is approximately 91,000.”
Most of these little critters are harmless, but some, like the scorpion, pack a wallop if you are unlucky enough to encounter one up close and personal, as I once did. (I stepped on a baby scorpion in my den decades ago, and I still recall the intense pain it caused!)
According to National Geographic's Web site, the scorpion can live from three to eight years, and – hold onto your hat – there are nearly 2,000 species of the creepy crawlers on Earth!
The scorpion has an amazing ability to survive in a variety of harsh conditions and, since they burrow, all that they need is soil to thrive.
There are stories of scorpions' capability to endure freezing circumstances, and they can “revive” themselves once they thaw out!
The robust scorpion lives on insects, and employs his front pincers, or chelae, to capture prey, then stings it with the venomous stinger located on its “tail.”
When conditions are poor, the scorpion has the ability to downshift its metabolism to around one-third its typical rate to survive.
Scorpions court beginning by finding their true love through a potent mix of pheromones, and through unique vibrations and dance. After mating, the male literally hightails it out of the female's sight so that he won't be eaten!
Dozens of baby scorpions, or scorplings, are born, after around a year. Then, the scorplings are carted around on the mother's back until molting has occurred, usually several times.
Another surprising factoid about scorpions is that, if viewed under ultraviolet light, they glow eerily.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
The Living Landscape: Scorpions
- Kathleen Scavone
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