📷 George Chernilevsky · Public domain
📷 Mike Baird
📷 Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová
IUCN: Not Evaluated
Emperor Scorpion
Pandinus imperator
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassArachnida›OrderScorpiones›FamilyScorpionidae›GenusPandinus
About
Emperor scorpions are glossy black giants that glow blue-green under ultraviolet light — a property of their exoskeleton that is hard to see at night but striking under a UV torch. Despite the impressive size and pincers, their venom is mild, and they rely mainly on crushing prey with powerful claws. Mothers give birth to live young and carry the pale, soft babies on their backs for the first weeks, making emperor scorpions among the more attentive of arachnid parents.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Tropical rainforests and savannas, hiding under bark, logs, and leaf litter
🍃Diet Insects, spiders, and other arthropods, occasionally small vertebrates
📏Size & Weight 17–23 cm long
•Weight About 30–60 g
⏳Lifespan About 5–8 years in the wild
🗺Range West African rainforests and savannas, from Senegal to Ghana
Invertebrate
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Tropical rainforests and savannas, hiding under bark, logs, and leaf litter
🍃Diet Insects, spiders, and other arthropods, occasionally small vertebrates
📏Size & Weight 17–23 cm long
•Weight About 30–60 g
⏳Lifespan About 5–8 years in the wild
🗺Range West African rainforests and savannas, from Senegal to Ghana
Photo Credits
#1George Chernilevsky · Public domain
#2Mike Baird · CC BY 2.0
#3Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · CC BY 4.0
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