General Information

Appearance & Life Span

Arizona bark scorpions are a yellowish-brownish color, and quite small for a scorpion species, maxing out at about 3 inches long. Typically, females are much wider in size than males. Though small, they are actually the most venomous scorpion in North America. Bark scorpions can live 5-9 years on average. They have 8 eyes, but bark scorpions are actually mostly blind.

Behavior

Arizona bark scorpions hibernate in the winter time. They become active when nighttime temperatures start to consistently remain between 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Bark scorpions are nocturnal, therefore very active at night. This species of scorpion glows when under a black light, making it very easy to spot them (and squash them) while they're active! They prey on other bugs (they love roaches) and they're attracted to water or moisture of any kind. These scorpions are not aggressive towards humans, they're actually quite terrified of us. Because they only have a limited supply of venom at any given time, they typically don't sting unless they absolutely have to. It takes a couple weeks for them to regenerate their venom supply if they use it.

Dangers of the Arizona Bark Scorpion

Though the Arizona Bark Scorpion is considered the only deadly scorpion in the US, death to a human due to an Arizona Bark Scorpion sting is very rare. The stings can still be extremely painful, and young children and elderly adults are most at risk for serious complications due to a sting. If you happen to get stung on an extremity such as a foot or hand, the entire foot or hand can remain paralyzed for up to 72 hours! As far as pets, a sting from an Arizona bark scorpion can kill our beloved animals, especially smaller ones. If a pet is stung, seek veterinary attention immediately. As long as emergency vet care is available, most dogs will recover. If not treated, they are at serious risk. Watch your dogs in the yard and make sure they aren't digging, especially at night!

Mating & Breeding

Arizona bark scorpions have a very unique mating ritual. The male will deposit sperm on the ground, then hold the female by the pinchers. He will then repeatedly drag her back and forth over his sperm deposit, sometimes even spinning her around, for up to several hours. The female has a genital pore on her abdomen in which she will absorb the sperm deposit in order to become pregnant. Bark scorpions do not lay eggs, they actually have a live birth of potentially 30+ scorpions at once! Females are typically pregnant for 9 months, just like people. When they are first born, baby bark scorpions will crawl onto their mother's back and stay there until their first molt, for 7-10 days. Because they haven't had their first molt yet, the babies do not glow under black light. If you run across a bark scorpion whose back isn't lighting up in a black light like the rest of their body, it's highly likely that it is a mother scorpion with lots of babies piled on her back! (It's pretty gross. Also, careful not to let them scatter by trying to kill the mother with no action plan!)