Picture a scorpion in your mind.
Now picture the type of habitat or even what part of the world your scorpion would live.
Chances are you came up with the image of a scorpion that lives in hot, dry areas (like Arizona) or a tropical climate somewhere in South America, Africa, or Asia.
But be honest …how many of you thought of North Dakota, Montana, or southern Canada? Then you’ve probably never heard of the Northern Scorpion.
Northern Scorpions are one of the widest ranging scorpion species in North America. Found in 13 states, they range from Arizona to as far north as British Columbia and Alberta. This member of the arachnid family is the only species of scorpion in Canada and is the northernmost species of scorpion in the world.
In terms of appearance, they are mostly light yellow and tan in coloration. Adults range in size from 1 to 2 inches, with females tending to be larger than the males.
Like other scorpion species, Northern Scorpions are nocturnal, spending most of their time in a dark, sheltered location. After finding a suitable home, females restrict their above ground movements to the vicinity of their doorstep. Males, on the other hand, will routinely roam up to six times further than females during their night-time wanderings.
Not being very neighborly, Northern Scorpions will engage in territorial fights, with the larger of the two usually winning (and often eating) the loser.
Aside from occasionally snacking on a defeated opponent, they typically feed on small insects and spiders using the stinger at the end of their metasoma (the tail-like portion of their abdomen), delivering venom which quickly subdues their prey.
