Scorpions Lighting Up the Night

#funfactfriday It's almost Halloween and so lets 'shine some light' on another one of our local creepy-crawlies: the Northern Scorpion! Did you know that this elusive arachnid glows neon greenish-blue under UV light? This is due to fluorescent chemicals in their exoskeleton.

Biologists aren't entirely sure why scorpions glow under UV light but they believe it helps them them find shelter at night by detecting moonlight on their bodies. Northern Scorpions are shy and elusive and rarely come into contact with humans. They are only about 5 cm (2") long and are completely nocturnal. While all scorpions have stingers with venom, Northern Scorpions have a very mild venom and are not known to sting humans. If a sting does occur, it would be similar to a bad bee sting and (as long as there is no allergic reaction) does not do any lasting harm.