![]() ![]() Because scorpions avoid sunlight in general and UV light in particular, Carl Kloock, an arachnologist at California State University, postulates that the glow actually helps them determine if they are safe to come out or if they need to stay hidden based on how much UV light shines on them.Įven though the reason for the glow remains a mystery to scientists, it can definitely make things easier for researchers while out in the field since they can easily spot scorpions at night by simply using a UV flashlight. Another theory is the fluorescence makes their bodies more sensitive to light, which in turn makes it easier for them to find a shade-covered hiding spot. ![]() However, there is very little UV light at night which makes this explanation unlikely. Another theory is that scorpions use the glow to see at night, as their eyes are more sensitive to the blue-green colors. Some theorize that it could help scorpions find each other while others think it is just a fluke of evolution and has no purpose at all. In fact, it is still unknown if the glowing material comes from a chemical reaction in the hardening process or if the scorpions actually secrete the chemicals that create the glowing reaction. And, not that I condone this, but I have heard of many families using fire to kill scorpions…not that I would recommend that.“We don’t really know exactly why they do it - it could just be an accident, a freak of nature, that all scorpions fluoresce,” Owen Seeman, the collection manager for arachnids at the Queensland Museum, said in an interview with ABC in 2017.
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