Species Fact Profile: Emperor Scorpion (Pandinus imperator)

                                                             Emperor Scorpion

Pandinus imperator (Koch, 1842)

Range: West Africa

Habitat: Tropical Forest, Savannah

Diet: Insects (especially termites), other terrestrial invertebrates.  Occasionally small lizards and rodents.  Cannibalism has been observed

Social Grouping: Loose colonies of up to 15 

Reproduction:  Breeding occurs year round.  Males grasp females by the pincers and mock sting them before depositing sperm (sometimes the male is eaten by the female following breeding).  Gestation 9 months.  Female gives live birth to 10-12 young (resembling tiny versions of their parents), which are carried on her back.  Sexually mature at 4 years old.

Lifespan: 8 Years

      Conservation Status: CITES Appendix II

•      One of the largest scorpion species in the world, measuring an average of 20 centimeters long and weighing 30 grams
•       Body is shiny black, with an underlying white membrane that is sometimes visible in gravid females when their bodies are stretched out by pregnancy
•       Armed with two large pincers (called pedipalps) in front of four pairs of legs and a tail that terminates with a stinger.  Behind the last pair of legs is a sensory structure used for sensing features of the terrain, called pectines.  Sensory hairs over the body detect vibrations in the air on on the ground
•       Primarily nocturnal.  Often found buried in the leaf litter, in loose soil, or in termite mounds, which are favored hunting grounds
•      Juveniles primarily rely on the venom of their sting to capture prey.  Adults rely more on their powerful claws, which can rip prey apart
•      Popular in the pet trade due to large size and fearsome appearance coupled with a mild venom and generally placid demeanor (can be handled readily)