Plastic Scorpion

No project on desert fauna is complete without this guy!

Our Plastic Scorpion

Our realistic-looking plastic desert scorpion is made of solid plastic, and measures 2 1/2 inches from the end of its pincers to the curve in its tail. The stinger at the end of the tail is dark brown, as is its back and the tips of its pincers. This plastic scorpion can be used as an educational toy, as part of a shoebox diorama or other school project, as a collector's item, an inexpensive gift for your favorite scorpion fan, and more. It is flexible, and is in an active striking pose. Be sure to see our other scorpion toys and gifts.

About Scorpions

Scorpions are found in warm regions. They are arachnids, and therefore more closely related to spiders than to insects. They are found not only in the desert, but also in forests. They spend much of the day under logs and leaf litter, and feed mostly at night on spiders and insects. Most scorpions are only painful to humans and are not especially dangerous, although a few can deliver a fatal sting. Children and elderly people are more at risk from their venom than strong, healthy adults. The approximately 2,000 species of scorpion vary widely in size, from about 1/2 inch to 7 inches long. Our plastic scorpion is most likely an artistic version of the Arizona desert scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis pallidus), characterized by a dirty light brown/yellow color and a black to brown streak on its back. People have collected scorpions and made a commercial product out of them in the form of paperweights and keychains by placing them inside moulded plastic. Because of this, they have become over-collected and are now "a CITES-listed animal, meaning scorpions could be threatened with extinction if exportation and other threats, such as development, are not regulated." [Wikipedia]

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.