How long can scorpions survive without food or water?

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On a clear evening, you might spot a curved string of stars stretching between the constellations Libra and Sagittarius. According to Greek mythology, Artemis, the goddess of wild animals, sent a scorpion to defeat the hunter Orion. As a result, the constellation Scorpio was placed in the sky directly opposite Orion, as though it were chasing him endlessly.

Scorpions have been part of human myths for thousands of years, as they have existed for an estimated 450 million years. With their unique shape and dangerous stinger, they’ve often been linked to evil and chaos. However, despite the 1,300 known species of scorpions, fewer than 40 are venomous enough to kill a human. These dangerous species are mostly found in regions like the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, South America, and India. That said, scorpions still cause significant harm, with about 5,000 people dying from scorpion-related causes annually [source: Leeming].

The scorpion belongs to the arachnid family and is closely related to spiders, mites, and ticks. Arachnids possess four pairs of legs and two body segments: a cephalothorax and an abdomen. Their bodies are covered in an exoskeleton made of chitin. A unique feature of this external shell is that it makes scorpions highly visible in the dark. Due to an unknown chemical in the chitin, scorpions glow when exposed to ultraviolet light at night. Their tail is segmented into five parts, ending with a venomous stinger. At the opposite end of their body, scorpions have crab-like pincers called pedipalps used to seize and crush prey.

Scorpions don’t need to use their tough exterior to catch prey very often. Much like a patient fisherman who waits for hours to catch a fish, scorpions excel at waiting for food to come to them.

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Scorpion Diet

Scorpions are found in nearly every habitat across the globe, including tropical rainforests, savannas, deserts, mountains, and grasslands. They typically take shelter beneath rocks and logs to conserve energy and maintain a cool temperature. While scorpions, like other arachnids, have multiple eyes, their vision is quite poor. To compensate for this, they possess special sensory organs called pectines on the underside of their abdomen. These pectines can detect scent trails left by other scorpions and sense changes in the surrounding air.

Although scorpions are nocturnal, they don't actively seek out food. Instead, they are opportunistic feeders that wait for prey to come to them rather than expending energy hunting. What kind of food do they wait for? As carnivorous arachnids, much like spiders, scorpions mainly consume other insects and sometimes even other scorpions.

Scorpions may even display cannibalistic behavior during mating rituals. After a male scorpion deposits a spermatophore for the female to absorb, he must quickly move away, or risk becoming the female’s next meal [source: Angier]. This behavior is not unique to scorpions—female black widow spiders are also known to consume their male mates.

What happens when food is scarce? Scorpions have developed an amazing ability to slow down their metabolism to a mere third of what similarly sized insects experience. During lean periods, their metabolic rate is the slowest of any invertebrate [source: Lighton et al]. At this pace, one meal can sustain a scorpion for up to a year. To reduce their metabolism, scorpions engage in minimal activity. In fact, many scorpions spend 92 to 97 percent of their lives in a near-hibernation state, maintaining their sluggish metabolic rate [source: Leeming].

Even when a scorpion's body is nearly dormant, it can still spring into action to capture prey. But when it attacks, it doesn't immediately consume the prey. Instead, the scorpion excretes enzymes from its chelicerae, or fangs. These enzymes break down the insect's body, a process known as external digestion, allowing the scorpion to absorb the nutrients without expending the energy required for internal digestion.

This slow-paced lifestyle suits the scorpion, enabling it to live for up to 25 years across various climates, making it the longest-living species among arachnids. Despite its long lifespan, a scorpion’s sparse diet means it may only consume a few dozen meals throughout its life.

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