U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)’s Post

A back full of babies, a profusion of progeny, a surfeit of scorplings. Scorpling is the word for baby scorpions! Scorpion moms give birth to live babies, which are born with soft exoskeletons. They ride on their mother’s back until their first molt, when their exoskeletons harden enough to help keep them safe. This striped bark scorpion is raising her babies in the pollinator garden at Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge near Austin, TX. Photo: Janet Rogal

  • a tan scorpion carries dozens of larval scorplings on her back
Kyna Christensen

Environmental Scientist at WWC Engineering

3w

I have so many emotions...first, empathy for a hard-working mother, then a bit of fear...this mother is probably pretty protective. Honestly...its mostly fear...I just don't want to meet this family anywhere. Good luck to you, Mom...

It’s all fun and games till one falls on your pillow. Luckily the one that fell on my pillow (just as I got up), didn’t have babies. That was scary enough. I have since moved out of Arizona and live in a scorpion and scorpling free area

F Lee “Fred” Fisch

what kind of lawyer? A damn good one!

3w

This is the most dangerous type of scorpion in the US. Let's be careful in that garden.

Like
Reply
Holly Chichester-Morby

Director of Landscape and Grounds @ University of Mary Washington | ISA, TRAQ

3w

Scorplings!!!! 🥰

Erica Marken

Development Director at Utah Clean Energy

3w

What do scorplings eat while on mom's back?

Like
Reply

Found these in north Florida recently…

  • No alternative text description for this image
George Mount

Author of Modern Data Analytics in Excel 📚 Microsoft Excel MVP 🏆

3w

I see that on my sofa, I'm never sitting on that sofa again 😬😅

She's not getting a Mother's Day card from me!

Nancy Ross-Stallings

Senior Archaeologist at WSP USA Environment & Infrastructure

3w

I get along "okay" with scorpions, unless I find one in my sleeping bag, which has happened before.....just want to know where they are if they are in the neighborhood.....

Like
Reply
Lawrence Urban

Wetland Mitigation Specialist at Montana Department of Transportation

3w

Okay, thanks for sharing this interesting tidbit about "scorplings"! However, I'm definitely not visiting dark places in Texas ever again!

See more comments

To view or add a comment, sign in

Explore topics