TIME TO EAT! -Feeding strategies-

 * Emperor Scorpions are known to "hunt" during the night, they hide and for lack of a better term wait for their prey to "bump" into them (due to their poor eyesight.

 * The Emperor Scorpion is called creepy, scary and even ugly but one thing they are not is picky, because they have such an unselective method of hunting they are known to eat anything from arthropods to other scorpions or simply any other animal that is convenient. 

* The trap and subdue their prey with their claws and stinger.

Where did they come from? Let's take a look at the evolutionary path

*Scientists that are involved in the research and discovery of the Emperor Scorpion believe they evolved  from the water scorpion 425 to 450 million years ago. it is thought that the first of all scorpions species was marine and that most of these scorpions continued to exist and inhibit the water os the Silurian epoch up until around 250-300 MYA. Scientists believe that the very first terrestrial scorpion would have been found about 340 MYA and that they only moved onto land after an abundance of sufficient prey had moved.

* The Emperor Scorpion is known as "a living fossil" because VERY little has changed since they were first discovered. 

What's so interesting about them?

  * There are so many interesting things about the Emperor Scorpion, they are genuinely a unique and interesting organism, from the body structure to their evolutionary path. 

* They have no changed hunting tactics, basic body structure or habitat, and because of this is ensures scientist that this species is thriving. 

* Due to their lack of change for millions of years scorpions are known as "living fossils" and because of their lack of change it makes studying the evolutionary path extremely easy. 
* The Emperor Scorpion is the largest discovered scorpion species but although they are the largest they are not the longest measuring in at about 16.5 cm long.

Characteristics of the Emperor Scorpion

 * There are about 24 species of different scorpions and they live worldwide but this specific large species of scorpion lives in the coastal countries of Western African, from Senegal to Congo and Gabon.

* The Emperor scorpion lives in these warm climates because  they thrive in the hot, humid rainforest.

* This group of Scorpion are beneficial for the area in which they live because they prey of pests, like insects, and other scorpions.

* This species are known to dig burrows in the soil of their habitat or dig under rocks, logs or tree roots.

*  Emperors are usually glossy black but they have the ability to be brown or green as well and this specific species can even glow blue when put under ultraviolet light, due to their "fluorescent beta-carbolines". 

* This scorpion has a whitish membrane that connects their body segments and four legs that have a structure called "pectines" that the scorpion uses to detect the texture of the ground underneath them.  

* This kind of scorpion has sensory hairs on their pinchers and tail  which are used to detects ground vibrations that help them find prey. (their eyesight is extremely poor)

 * They are known for having extremely intimidating front claws that are very large and have the ability to draw blood, these claws are used to trap and crush prey. 

* With the massive claws, large body and scary stinger one would assume these scorpions are lethal, that is where one would be wrong; the scorpion has the ability to poison and consume their prey by using these features but the sting of an Emperor Scorpion is not deadly to humans unless allergic and feels like that of a bee sting.

* The way the Emperor Scorpion mates is extremely unique, the male will hold the female with his claws and push her around until a good place to mate is found. After this spot is found the male "deposits his spermatophore on a solid substrate" and the female is pulled over the spermatophore which she then accepts into her genital aperture.  

* After they have mated the male quickly leaves because it has been reported that if a male is relatively smaller than the female she may try and sometimes succeed in consuming him. 

* This species gives birth to about 25 live babies and they will latch on to their mothers back until ready to defend themselves.

The Taxonomic organization of the Emperor Scorpion

* Phylum: Arthropoda ( includes insects like tics etc.)

* Class: Arachnida 

* Order: Scorpiones 

* Family: Scorpionidae 

* Genus: Pandinus 

* Species: P. imperator