Emperor+Scorpion


 * Emperor Scorpion**

__Scientific Name:__
//Pandinus imperator// Emperor Scorpion on a leaf

__Scientific Classification:__

 * **Domain** || Eukaryia ||
 * **Kingdom** || Animalia ||
 * **Phylum** || Arthropoda ||
 * **Class** || Arachnida ||
 * **Order** || Scorpiones ||
 * **Family** || Scorpionidae ||
 * **Genus** || Pandinus ||
 * **Species** || Pandinus Imperator ||

__Habitat__
Emperor scorpions are typically found in hot tropical forests and savannas of Africa. These scorpions like to burrow beneath the soil which they can be found underneath rocks, leaf litter, forest debris, stream banks, logs, or tree roots. They are able to burrow from their two pairs of legs into termite mounds which occasionally make it as their home. They are located in the countries of Togo, Ghana, Chad, Benin, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and the Congo region. Since they come from humid and warm tropical forests and savannas of western Africa, they have to live under the condition of 75 to 85 Fahrenheit. //Pandinus imperators //are known to be sensitive to light, thus, making these animals primarily nocturnal. They are active during the night time but during the day, they like to be hidden in burrows to rest and wait for prey to pass by for an ambush upon them. They do not really interact with any specific flora due to having to burrow during the day and being active during the night for prey. However, they like to digest insects and other arthropods when hunting at night. The adaptations //Pandinus imperator// that they have to go through is burrowing under the sand to protect themselves from UV rays. If they are exposed to UV radiation for a while, then they will stress out and cause death. They come at night because it is much cooler for survivability so they do not die easily from the intense heat. Their tail is segmented so that it can reach out and strike quickly without the whole body moving. The venom on their stinger is mild but not fatal. They rarely use their stinger because it is used for defense and to capture prey. Instead, they rely on their large and powerful chelae to hold and crush prey and intimidate attacks from predators. When these scorpions are damaged in some way, they are able to regrow body parts that have been broken off. They molt to renew and heal worn and damaged exoskeleton. They like to eat insects and other arthropods but commonly eat termites. However, they are eaten by other predators such as birds, mammals, spiders, and bats.

//Pandinus imperator// live in humid warm environments that should be maintained around 70-85 fahrenheit and are rarely active before nightfall. However, this photograph shows that //Pandinus imperator// are known to be active during the night time due to being known as nocturnal.

__Species Interactions__
The //Pandinus imperator's// place in the environment food web is level 2 because it eats other insects leading it to become a carnivore. On a daily basis, they regularly eat insects and other arthropods, small mice, and lizards. However, their main dish are termites and usually hunt down tiny vertebrates. Unfortunately, they are eaten by many other predators such as birds, bats, mammals, and spiders. Individually, they do not depend on their stinger to kill their prey but they use their deadly and powerful pincers to rip their prey apart. Their eye sights are known to be very poor but with their well-developed senses, they are able to detect their prey, their surrounding environment and prey with the use of body hairs and pectines. When they are being attacked by predators, they tend to flee rather than battle. When they are trapped in a corner, they are forced to go in a threat posture and fend for their lives. They become more aggressive with their stinger ready as the predator is ready to engage in combat. During the day time, they burrow under the soil to eat termites and wait for prey to pass by and get ambushed when hiding beneath debris and rocks. At night time, they become active and hunt for prey. Usually these creatures are in groups but they have to sustain enough food for the group. However, competition can occur at any moment due to not enough food upon each other and can cause vital damage to each other and ultimately itself.

//Pandinus imperator// has its prey locked on its pincers while consuming its prey.

__Reproduction__
//Pandinus imperator// usually live five to eight years but their lifespam is shortened from being in the wild. They conduct mating actions such as a dance where the male grasps the female by pedipalps and engages in a myriad of behaviors but are not limited to sexual stinging and cheliceral "kissing" before depositing their sperm. Some of them may however kill and consume the male after mating has occurred to gain enough nutrients for reproduction. They are able to breed throughout the year and once the time has come on the average of nine months then the females give live birth up to 10 to 12 young's. These young's are called scorplings. They reach maturity by the age of four. When the young are born, they are defenseless and rely heavily on their mother for food and protection. The new born are carried on the mother's back until they are old enough to be on their own. Females become more aggressive after giving birth to protect their young's. If the scorplings stay on the mother's back for too long, she will tend to kill some of her young. She is there until her young's are able to burrow for themselves and become independent.

__Human Uses/Studies and Conservation__
//Pandinus imperator// are typically used for pet trade that is known to be popular. They are occasionally used in movies because of their miraculous appearance. Scientists study their poison which is known to be mild and very timid. The molecule that their poison contains is called scorpine where it has been isolated from them. It seems to show that the scorpine has an anti-malarial and anti-bacterial qualities. The Emperor scorpions are placed in Appendix II where these lists shows creatures that are not endangered. However, the pet trade is limited in order to prevent extinction. In the wild life, there are many things that are able to hide //Pandinus imperator// from the intense heat. To protect itself from the UV rays, it is necessary for them to burrow to keep themselves away from sun. They should be kept at 75 to 85 Fahrenheit to sustain themselves during the day when they are doing something. They are known to be nocturnal so they usually hunt at night time. The study of //Pandinus imperator// show that they have a cancer also known as orovarian fibroids in which its genetic problem involves one generation to the most female sex scorpions causing death. It begins with a small bump on the back or tail during its early developments of molting up in the first two months to three years after the same. They have three stages to its evolution. Its first stage is its primary stage and is the formation of the ball, the second or middle when the ball is growing and exceeds the millimeter, the third or final when the ball has passed to the external opening and shows a large mass as it has put half of a marble in place or less. At that stage, it starts to have problems. It stops walking and cannot lift its tail. Studies show that it is suffering from cardiac arrest and will shortly die after.