Ambushing scorps!

[Poecilotheria]

Hi, I have H. troglodtyes, about 6-7in. and she always ambushes her food from her hiding place. She has a waterbowl, and a peice of wood propped up on that and leans over to the substrate. Anyway, I usually toss crickets in the entrance to help her out, its just so much fun watching her do that, do any other scorp specie do that?
Steve

 

[XOskeletonRED]

Unless the scorpion is out in the open or not hungry, it will ambush prey from the hide. I have an H. troglodytes female who only takes prey in the open, but she's a little odd, I must say. She's about the same size as the one you had mentioned. I also have several smaller scorps that will only take out prey items from their hides, due to their vulnerability of small size while in the open. Some of them consist of Vaejovis, Leiurus, Centruroides, and several others (often, it depends on the size of the prey items offered and the size of the scorpion it is offered to, but it may also depend on the scorpion's ability to defend against it as well). L. quinquestriatus young will attack an adult cricket but will often run from a very small spider sp, while both situations occur in the open. Apparently, the scorpion senses the spider to be a predator, while the cricket is prey. Either way, they often think they can win if they are protected from behind, and they usually do. I suppose it would mostly be the individual scorpion's attitude. I've seen an adult Parabuthus transvaalicus run from a medium sized cricket and a baby P. transvaalicus attack an adult cricket. It's sort of funny, I think.


adios,
edw.