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Are scorpions insects?
Are Scorpions Insects?
Take one look at a scorpion, and most people see a blur of legs, a hard exoskeleton, and their prominent, dangling tail and stinger. Given such a terrifying look, it’s easy to assume that scorpions are another insect. After all, they seem to share several characteristics with other insects. But for the eagle-eyed amongst you, you’ll have spotted a few crucial differences.
Firstly, most insects have six legs. Despite their similarities, both having pairs of jointed legs, scorpions have eight in total. When you count their legs, most people can miss the two hidden underneath their claws. But they are there.
Scorpions also have a segmented body like insects with a hard outer shell known as an exoskeleton. The reason for this protection is similar to insects: it protects them from being eaten. Scorpions might look formidable, but they are food for a large number of species. Therefore, the hard exoskeleton acts as a suit of armor out in the world. It also helps protect them from heat and desiccation. Scorpions thrive in dry, arid environments such as deserts. Therefore, they cannot afford to lose moisture through their skin. The shell helps to lock in their fluids, preventing them from drying out.
So, if scorpions aren’t insects, then what are they?
Well, surprisingly, scorpions are in the same class as spiders: Arachnida. Their cousins include spiders, ticks, mites, and harvestmen.
It’s easy to see the similarities. Just like spiders, scorpions have eight legs. They’re also opportunistic hunters like spiders. However, while a spider prefers a web, scorpions prefer a burrow. Their body types are pretty similar too. Whereas, insects have three distinct body segments: head, thorax, and abdomen; arachnids have only two. These are known as the cephalothorax and abdomen. The cephalo-thorax is a strange hybrid between a head and thorax. This is why scorpions have such short-stunted heads.
Insects also have a pair of antennae, whereas scorpions use very fine hairs to detect the movements of their prey. And of course, unlike many insects, scorpions can’t fly. Thankfully!
Conclusion
As we can see, scorpions and insects might look similar at first, but there are many differences. Scorpions have eight legs and combine their head and thorax into one chunk. They can’t fly, and they don’t have antennae. So, next time you see a scorpion, remember, they’re cousins of spiders, not beetles.
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