# How do scorpians eat?



## Bjorgly (Oct 8, 2002)

I was wondering how exactly scorpians catch their food.  I watch them in the pet store and their claws are very very slow moving, but that can be decieving if they are like tarantulas.  Do they sting everything with their tail? or hold them with claws then sting them? or what? just wondering how they go about it

Thanks,

Mark


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## sabre (Oct 8, 2002)

emperor scorpions rarely sting at all as adults.  they grab the prey with their claws and crush it.  the times i have seen them sting is when they have grabbed the prey first and it is still fighting to get away.   baby emperors will use their stinger more frequently.


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## Locotus (Oct 8, 2002)

Scorpions are ambush hunters, they lay in wait at the entrance to their borrow or caves or tree bark and as the prey wanders by they attack with their pincers, and some species actually use their stinger to kill. others don't

like Sabre said, Emps kill by the use of their pincers, they are strong, you will notice if you read info on scorpions that generally the less venemous species have large strong pincers to kill while the highly venemous have smaller stingers and NEED to sting to catch their prey, if not their pincer isn't strong enough to kill.


also, they aren't slow.....they cn move very fast, some at petstores are stressed, because they aren't allowed to burrow or hide........

 My Emps are cool,,


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## Kugellager (Oct 8, 2002)

Most large scorpions just grab their prey without stinging(envenomating)...usually its the smaller scorpions that will sting...though they don't always...usually only if prey is struggling.  Anyway...the prey is grasped by the pincers(pedipalps) and brought to the chelicerae(look kind of like T fangs) at the mouth opening. The chelicerae crush and push pieces of the prey into the mouth where it may get mixed with some digestive fluids...the waste comes out at the base of the stinger(aculus).

John
];')


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