Fun Androctonus Scorpion Facts For Kids

The Androctonus scorpion also referred to as the fat-tail scorpion or fat-tailed scorpion belongs to the family Buthidae. The population of the fat-tail scorpion or fat-tailed scorpion species is distributed in the geographic range of West and North Africa and the Middle East.

Some countries where these species are found include Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. The habitats where this fat-tail scorpion or fat-tailed scorpion is found include tropical, sub-tropical, arid, semi-arid, and desert areas.

When the males of this species tend to come out of their burrows, the breeding process of the fat-tail scorpion begins. The male tends to search for a mature and receptive female.

Then they are known to engage in courtship rituals by moving front and back, side by side and the copulation occurs after which 30-45 scorplings are given birth and these tend to remain on top of the females till the first molt.

It is a medium-sized scorpion. The appearance of the fat tail scorpion is dark and can be brown, dark brown, red, or black in color.

As the name suggests, this species is known to have a fat tail as compared to other scorpion species. The tail, soles of the feet, and pedipalps are known to be covered with spines and hair.

The prey of this species consists of lizards, spiders, rodents, and insects.

This scorpion is also known to be a part of cannibalism, thus, eats other scorpions, too, and uses their pedipalps to kill its prey. This species is quite venomous and can prove to be potentially lethal to humans and thus, it is advised that this species should not be kept as pets and should be in their natural habitat.

The Latin name Androctonus of this species is known to be derived from Greek and means 'man-killer'. It is known to be one of the dangerous scorpion species in the world.

Some other members of this genus Androctonus and family Buthidae include Androctonus australis, Androctonus bicolor, and Androctonus crassicauda, and these various types are found in the range that commonly includes West Africa, the Palearctic region, India, and other parts of the world.

It is very gripping to explore this scorpion from the genus Androctonus and if you like, read about pseudoscorpion facts and bark scorpion facts, too.

Androctonus Scorpion Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Androctonus scorpion?

An Androctonus scorpion is a type of scorpion.

What class of animal does an Androctonus scorpion belong to?

It is placed in the Arachnida class.

How many Androctonus scorpions are there in the world?

There is no exact estimation of the world population of these scorpions.

Where does an Androctonus scorpion live?

The population of this scorpion is spread across the geographic range of West and North Africa and the Middle East. Some countries where these species are found include Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Armenia, Tunisia, Algeria, Togo, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.

What is an Androctonus scorpion's habitat?

The types of habitat that these dangerous scorpions inhabit include tropical, subtropical, temperate, semi-arid, and arid regions that consist of sandy soils. During the hotter period of the day, these scorpions can be spotted under crevices, stones, trees, and burrows.

Who does the Androctonus scorpion live with?

Not a lot is known about these scorpions being solitary or living in groups but scorpions, in general, are known to be solitary.

How long does an Androctonus scorpion live?

The lifespan of scorpions, in general, is around 4-25 years.

How do they reproduce?

The mating process of these scorpions starts when the male comes out of its burrows and starts looking for a mature and receptive female.

As a female is found, the male engages in a courtship ritual where the female is taken from the pedipalps and begins to walk from front and back and also side to side.

A female is known to give birth to about 30-45 scorplings and these scorplings are known to be on the top of the females until the first molt as after the first molt, they are able to defend themselves and get their own food.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of these scorpions depends on the various subspecies, though on the whole, they have a stable population.

Androctonus Scorpion Fun Facts

What do Androctonus scorpions look like?

The tail of this medium-sized scorpion is comparatively broader than other scorpions. The Androctonus metasoma is quite thick and also resistant.

This scorpion is known to appear dark and could be reddish, dark brown, brown, or black. Certain parts of their body appear rough and grainy. The tail, pedipalps, and also the soles of the feet of these scorpions are covered with sensory hairs and spines.

How cute are they?

These scorpions are not considered cute.

How do they communicate?

Not a lot is known about the communication of the scorpions, but it is believed that the only interaction between scorpions takes place during breeding.

How big is an Androctonus scorpion?

This dangerous fat-tailed scorpion is around 4 in (10 cm) long. It is known to be a medium-sized scorpion. This species can be larger than a bark scorpion and smaller than an emperor scorpion.

How fast can an Androctonus scorpion run?

The exact speed of these scorpions is not known.

How much does an Androctonus scorpion weigh?

The weight of this fat-tailed scorpion is unknown.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Male and females of this species do not have any sex-specific names.

What would you call a baby Androctonus scorpion?

Baby scorpions are referred to as scorplings.

What do they eat?

The prey of these fat-tailed scorpions consists of lizards, spiders, rodents, insects, and even other scorpions. It crushes its prey with pedipalps and injects them with its poison.

Are they poisonous?

Yes, these scorpions are dangerous and the poison and sting of these scorpions can be lethal to humans – especially the ones who already have certain health issues – as the poison contains neurotoxins that tend to react very fast in the body and cause trouble with the central nervous system and might cause paralysis or respiratory failure.

The sting itself can be very painful, too.

Would they make a good pet?

Not a lot is known about the fat tail scorpion as a pet but it is believed that it would not make a good pet as it is quite harmful to humans. It is believed that in some states, owning this scorpion as a pet is prohibited and illegal.

Did you know...

The fat-tailed scorpion is considered to be one of the most dangerous scorpion species in the world.

These scorpions are named so because of their fat and thick metasoma and their Latin name, Androctonus, has been derived from Greek which means 'man-killer'.

Androctonus bicolor is also referred to as the black fat-tailed scorpion.

The black fat-tailed scorpion can go without eating for months.

The black fat-tailed scorpion is also known to only ingest liquids.

Androctonus australis when translated means 'south man-killer' or 'southern man-killer' and is found in North Africa, India, and Pakistan.

The fat-tailed scorpion requires a temperature between 85-95 F (29.5-35 C) in order for proper life development.

Fat-tailed scorpions are known to be nocturnal animals.

Fat-tailed scorpions are commonly found in exotic animal markets like snakes and tarantulas.

Some names of various types of this venomous scorpion include Androctonus australis, Androctonus bicolor (black fat-tailed scorpion), Androctonus crassicauda (Arabian fat-tailed scorpion), and Androctonus maroccanus.

A deathstalker scorpion is known to be one of the dangerous species of the fat-tailed scorpions and its sting can be extremely painful, but it is believed that it is unlikely that it could kill a healthy human adult.

Is an Androctonus scorpion endemic?

The fat-tailed scorpion is not endemic to any place but the various types could be, for instance, the subspecies Androctonus marrocanus is native to the Atlantic coast of Morocco.

Does an Androctonus scorpion have teeth?

Scorpions, in general, are known to have up to 50 teeth that are covered with sensory hairs.  

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our mayfly fun facts or blister beetle interesting facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Androctonus scorpion coloring pages.

Main image by MinoZig.

Second image by Quartl.