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Why Are Female Scorpions So Much More Violent?

For decades researchers have taken note of the female scorpions relatively quicker ability to strike and sting an enemy. Basically females are quicker on the draw than males, but why exactly? There have been several hypotheses as to why female bark scorpions don’t waste as much time as their male counterparts when it comes to attacking an enemy. One likely reason for their increased aggression has to do with their reduced ability to flee a threat. Naturally, if a female scorpion feels as though it cannot escape a threat, the female will have no choice but to try and fight its way out of the hostile situation.

It turns out that the differences between how male and female scorpions exhibit aggression has to do entirely with body weight. For example, female scorpions are pregnant for eighty percent of the year; therefore they cannot make quick escapes from hostile environments due to their relative heaviness. The speed at which males flee from hostile situations is, unlike females, sufficiently fast to evade danger, and thus avoid violence. As if it is not enough to be pregnant eighty percent of the year, females also cannot even count on a male for protection during their pregnant months. It’s tough for a female bark scorpion.

What types of animals does the female scorpion have to constantly fend off while pregnant?

 

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