| Range: |
Western Africa |
| Habitat: |
Tropical rain forests |
| Conservation Status: |
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| Scientific Name: |
Pandinus imperator |
The dark body of this animal helps it "disappear" in its West African habitat. Like other scorpions, this species has large pincers and a long tail equipped with a stinger. Its prey, usually insects or spiders, are caught in the pincers and torn to pieces or crushed. The venomous stinger is used for defense and to subdue struggling prey. Scientists studying scorpions in the wild use ultraviolet light at night because scorpions "glow" under it.
The scorpion's eight legs qualify it not as an insect, but as an arachnid -- a cousin of the spider.
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