Reproduction

 

Mating Ritual 

Soft music and wine is not needed  for the Arizona Bark Scorpion to proceed with reproduction, rather a specific "courtship dance" takes place where the male and female grasp pedipalps and move back and forth. This is a very interesting aspect of the Arizona Bark Scorpion life cycle. To watch a video of this mating dance, click here!

 

Process of Mating

To initiate the process of mating, male scorpions of C. sculpturatus will search for a spot on the ground to deposit a spermatophore, which contains the male's sperm. Once the spermatophore is deposited on the ground, the male will then proceed to pull a female scorpion over it. The sperm enters the female scorpion's genital pore which completes the mating process.

 

Photo credit Alex Wild

 Offspring 

Embryonic development usually takes several months and is followed by live birth, which is a very unique characteristic. After giving birth, the mother will pack up to 30 of her offspring and carry them on her back until they are ready to walk and molt for the first time. Molting is the process of shedding the old exoskeleton and letting a new one form. This is the "coming of age" for C. sculpturatus babies, as they are on their own after their first molt.

Photo credit David S. Flores

Find out about the interactions of C. sculpturatus!

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