Scorpions
The family of scorpions concists of some 1,400 different kinds. It may be surprising, but they belong to the family of spiders. That means that they are not insects.
A black scorpion in Krabi Province, Thailand. Size approximately 12cm to 15cm. Image by Asienreisender, 2005
Scorpions generally live in hot to temperate countries, mostly in the tropes and in deserts. In Southeast Asia I personally saw few of them, and can divert them into only two kinds: big, black ones and a smaller, bright brown kind.
The guys can run pretty fast and are nocturnal. The smallest of their kind is 9mm long and the biggest reach up to 21cm. Some of them live in trees; very few are deadly for humans, but in any case, a prick is at least as painfull as a bee or hornet prick.
They hide between stones and in cracks and can dig their own caves. Some enter houses and even cities. They sometimes look for shelter in various places, what could also include beds. It's recommendable to watch one's shoes before slipping into them.
A brown scorpion in Chiang Khong, Thailand. Size 5cm to 7cm. Image by Asienreisender, 2011
Their grasping claws are used to catch prey, what is mostly small insects and other small animals. They are themselves hunt and eaten by birds (e.g. owls), lizards (like tokays), snakes, big frogs and some mammals. Even humans sometimes like to eat scorpions.
Scorpion in a Ricewine Bottle (Laolao), on the market of Luang Prabang, Laos. Image by Asienreisender, 2006
Scorpions have not really a face. Their eyes are bad and give them only a rough orientation differentiating between bright and dark. They orientate rather on vibrations.
