Hairy Desert Scorpion
The Giant Hairy Scorpion is the largest scorpion in North America, and can, when fully grown, reach a length of about six inched long in body. They are brown, with yellow pincher’s, with brown hairs covering their bodies from which the name comes.
Their long tails are tipped with a poison gland that is bulb like in nature, and accompanies a stinger that helps them to deliver the poison they inject.
Being an arachnid they are also fitted with four pairs of legs.
The Giant Hairy Scorpion lives in the deserts of Arizona, California and Southern Utah and Nevada.
Hiding under rocks during the extreme heat of the day, the Giant Hairy Scorpion will come out at night to hunt, using the hairs on their bodies to detect the heat of the prey and hunt it down.
Primarily they use their pincers to overpower their prey, rather than the poison.
Their poison is also not particularly dangerous or lethal to humans, but it is in fact painful.
All scorpions will glow when held under a black light; this is due to their exoskeleton. The desert hairy scorpion appears blue-green when exposed to UV light.
After a courtship “dance” of sorts, the male scorpion will guide the female over the top of his sperm packet which she will take inside her body, where the egg will mate with it.
The gestation period for these arachnids is sometimes lengthy, up to a year, when the female will give birth to live young, up to as many as twenty of them, which crawl very rapidly up onto the mothers back, where they will remain until they molt and a little longer… after about two weeks they will climb down and go off on their own.
Desert hairy scorpions eat primarily insects and other arachnids.
The Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion is not endangered and in fact, in some areas is seen as a pest species.
I have a new pet that came to visit me last night . I have ID it as being a Hairy Giant Scorpion, How do you tell a female from a male ? It’s the first one I have ever seen ,the manager of the Apt. complex thought it should not be running loose in fear of the kids getting bitten by it . The last animal that came to reside with us was a Painted Turtle about 10 years ago, that belonged to my daughter. Any information would be appreciated. Get you a picture later. Jim Thanks !!
I would like to use the above picture of the Giant Hairy Desert Scorpion as part of a research paper I’m doing for my college Biology class. Would this be ok, if I credit you with the picture?
ok do they really try and sting u
it looks a bit scary close up.
I find these all over my yard. I live in Goodyear, Arizona and find them rather scary! Anyway, I thought I’d share this with you. There is a good video of this type of scorpion on youtube
Take care everyone and don’t get stung ;)