Pest Library

Characteristics

The family Vaejovidae belongs to a large family of scorpions that have 23 genera and 190 species. Most species are relatively small, with lengths varying from 1 1/5 to 2 3/4 inch in length. Their color can be yellow to yellow brown. Their four pairs of jointed legs are together with a pair of claws, and the tail that contains their venom.

Habitat

This family mostly lives in the United States, Mexico, Southwestern Canada, and Central America. Some species can survive the winter and can adapt to the cold winter, while several species live in caves. They do not create burrows, but often dig to escape predators with the use of their claws. They are mostly nocturnal . Although they prefer an arid of dry environments, they willnot be seen in daytime. They may be seen under rocks, logs, or natural crevices to escape the heat.

Behavior

The family Vaejovidae is known to survive high temperatures and extreme dryness well in their surroundings. They have the ability to stay hydrated and retain their water mass even after a couple of months without it. They have the ability to get their water from the body fluids of their prey. They also have the ability to avoid dehydration through their nocturnal behavior. They can adapt to the high temperature by going deep into their burrow, and will go closer to the ground to stay warm.

Food

The family Vaejovidae can go without food for months, but once they start eating, they can eat a lot in just one sitting. Scorpions are great predators that can hunt, capture, and eat small invertebrates. However, they can also hunt larger prey than them such as lizards and rodents.

Life Cycle

For males and females to mate, they will rely on smell and vibrations to find each other. Once a pair of scorpions finds each other, they will participate in a mating dance that may take a few minutes, hours, or even a day to finish. Once the dance is done, the pair will break free with the male leaving right away since he may become dinner for the female. The male will go and search for another female to mate again if he is not eaten.

Unlike spiders, scorpions grow their scorplings inside the female’s body and will deliver these babies one at a time. Gestation period may take 3 to 8 months and she can have 1 to 100 scorplings. Some scorpions may eat their young instead of taking care of them, especially when their location does not provide a lot of food. In situations, where their location has an abundance of resources, the mother will allow her scorplings to stay with her for nourishment and protection, until the time of their first molt. After that, the scorplings will search for their own habitat and food. The family Vaejovidae can live 2 to 10 years in the wild. Those in captivity can live up to 25 years, given they are provided with a good environment.

Other Information and Tips

The family Vaejovidae may also sting potential human victims, but compared to other scorpion families, this family is not that dangerous. Several members belonging to this family are even breed in captivity because they are safer to handle.

Photo by Acrocynus (Acrocynus) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons / resized from original