AnimalTracks.wiki

What the sources say

Desert Hairy ScorpionHadrurus arizonensis

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Desert Hairy Scorpion profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 50 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

Profile updated

Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Hadrurus arizonensis (North American hairy scorpion). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysIt grows 10 to 18 centimeters long
The source saysRange length 10 to 18 cm
The page saysweighs 4 to 7 grams
The source saysRange mass 4 to 7 g
The page saysIt lives across the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the southwestern United States, reaching into Utah, Nevada
The source saysnative to desert regions of the Nearctic, largely within the Sonoran and Mojave desert in the southwestern United States. They can also be found in Utah and Nevada.
The page sayswhich pick up vibrations moving through the air and the ground
The source saysNorth American hairy scorpions utilize their hairs, for which they are named, to detect vibrations in the air (sound) as well as in the ground.
The page saysIt is not considered a public health threat, and its sting is comparable to a bee sting
The source saystheir venom is weak and they are not considered a public health threat ... Their sting is comparable to a bee sting.
The page saysThe venom immobilizes small insects and other invertebrates but has little effect on vertebrates such as lizards and small mammals
The source saysThe venom successfully immobilizes small insects and other invertebrates but has little effect on vertebrates such as lizards and small mammals.
The page saysstrikes blindly at anything it takes as a threat
The source saysstriking blindly at anything deemed threatening
The page saysother scorpions prey on it both for food and to assert dominance
The source saysThey are also preyed upon by other scorpions , both for food and to assert dominance.
The page saysCourtship starts with the male grabbing the female by the side and clubbing her with his stinger, then taking her by the pincers and leading her through a rocking, back-and-forth dance called a promenade a deux
The source saysThe male grabs the female by the side, clubbing the mesosoma of the female with the stinger ... He then grabs the female by the pedipalps, leading her on a "promenade a deux", a coordinated dance involving simple movements back and forth rocking
The page saysOccasionally, after mating, the female tracks the male down and eats him
The source saysOccasionally, after mating, the female tracks down her mate and eats it.
The page saysas temperatures drop in winter it goes dormant, often underground in its burrow or in a cave
The source saysNorth American hairy scorpions go dormant during the winter as temperatures drop, often living underground in their burrow or in caves.
The page saysNot Evaluated
The source saysThe conservation status of North American hairy scorpions has not been evaluated by the IUCN.Note: stats.conservationStatus; no Red List assessment DOI found for Hadrurus arizonensis via audit:sources search or GBIF/Crossref; the previous 'Least Concern' had no assessment behind it
The page sayssenses vibrations in the air and the ground through its body hairs
The source saysutilize their hairs, for which they are named, to detect vibrations in the air (sound) as well as in the ground
The page saysMojave and Sonoran Desert low valleys, rock crevices and small caves across the southwestern United States, Utah, Nevada and northern Mexico
The source sayslargely within the Sonoran and Mojave desert in the southwestern United States. They can also be found in Utah and Nevada.Note: 'low valleys' from neoichnology-2012; 'rock crevices' from oregon-zoo; 'small caves' from ADW habitat text; 'northern Mexico' from la-zoo
The page saysit also occupies abandoned burrows, small caves and crevices
The source saysThey occupy abandoned burrows, small caves, and crevices.
The page saysIts common name comes from the brown hairs
The source saysutilize their hairs, for which they are named
The page saysit often waits inside a burrow and ambushes prey once it comes in range, grabbing it with its pincers and stinging it
The source saysThey often wait inside a burrow and ambush prey with their stinger once prey are in range. They use their modified front pedipalps to grab prey and the stinger equipped to their tail to deliver a venomous sting.
The page saysIts venom is fairly weak compared with most scorpions'
The source saysThe venom of North American hairy scorpions is fairly week compared to most scorpions
The page sayswhen prey struggles, it fights for its meal
The source saysThey fight for their meal if prey struggle.
The page saysWhen provoked, it stands erect on its legs, flails its stinger
The source saysWhen threatened, North American hairy scorpions stand erect on their legs and flail their stinger
The page saysfeeling vibrations through its hairs
The source saysutilize their hairs, for which they are named, to detect vibrations in the air (sound) as well as in the ground
The page saysInsects
The source sayssuch as insects and other invertebrates
The page saysIt is a nocturnal, solitary hunter
The source saysNorth American hairy scorpions are solitary predators that spend most of their time in burrows or under rocks. They are nocturnal
The page saysdangerLevel: Medium
The source saystheir venom is weak and they are not considered a public health threat ... Their sting is comparable to a bee sting.Note: task #812; a painful sting that is not a public health threat is 'Can injure, but rarely seriously', the tier the bark scorpions' bee-sting comparison got in #807
The page saysfor a scorpion whose body hairs pick up vibrations in the air and the ground
The source saysNorth American hairy scorpions utilize their hairs, for which they are named, to detect vibrations in the air (sound) as well as in the ground.Note: task #812, vibe.reason

Source
02

Oregon Zoo

Desert hairy scorpion. Oregon Zoo.

The page saysNorth America's largest scorpion
The source saysThey are the largest scorpion species in North America.
The page saysis the largest scorpion species in North America
The source saysThey are the largest scorpion species in North America.
The page saysabout four to seven inches
The source saysDesert hairy scorpions grow four to seven inches long
The page saysup to a quarter of an ounce
The source saysweigh up to a quarter of an ounce
The page saysIts predators include owls, bats, lizards and snakes
The source sayspredators, which include owls, bats, lizards and snakes
The page saysThose hairs alert it to potential prey and to predators
The source saysThey use the hair on the body to feel vibrations that alert them to potential prey and threatening predators
The page saysIt avoids the heat of the desert day by burrowing into rock crevices and holes
The source saysavoiding the heat of the daytime by burrowing in rock crevices and holes
The page saysto escape desert heat
The source saysavoiding the heat of the daytime by burrowing in rock crevices and holes

Source
03

Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Desert Hairy Scorpion. Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

The page saysand northern Mexico
The source saysnative to the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of Northern Mexico and the American Southwest
The page saysIn the wild it lives an average of seven to ten years; in human care it can reach 15 to 20
The source saysIn the wild, the desert hairy scorpion's average lifespan is seven to ten years, but in human care, they can live for 15 to 20 years.

Source
04

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Scorpion. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page saysScorpions have tiny mouths and can only suck up liquid, so a catch is mashed up and bathed in enzymes that dissolve its insides
The source saysScorpions have a very tiny mouth and can only suck up liquid, so prey that is caught is mashed up and bathed in enzymes that dissolve the prey's insidesNote: scorpion-wide wording; SDZ page covers all scorpions

Source
05

Hembree, Johnson & Tenwalde 2012

Hembree, Johnson & Tenwalde (2012). Neoichnology of the desert scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis: burrows to biogenic cross lamination. Palaeontologia Electronica.

The page saysdigging burrows up to 2.5 meters underground
The source saysthey construct burrows that can be up to 2.5 m deep
The page saysIt is usually found in low valleys, where it digs its own burrows
The source saysThey are usually found in low elevation valleys where they construct burrows
The page saysbrown hairs covering its body
The source saysbrown setae ("hairs") that cover its body which allow the scorpion to detect vibrations in the soil
The page saysA nocturnal predator
The source saysH. arizonensis is a nocturnal predator
The page saysIts large size lets it feed on invertebrates, including other scorpions, and on small vertebrates such as rodents, lizards and snakes
The source saysThe large size of H. arizonensis allows it to feed on a variety of invertebrates including other scorpions as well as small vertebrates such as rodents, lizards, and snakesNote: 'lets' paraphrases the source's 'allows'
The page saysits burrows can reach 2.5 meters, more than eight feet, deep
The source saysthey construct burrows that can be up to 2.5 m deep
The page saysDigs burrows up to 2.5 meters deep to escape desert heat
The source saysthey construct burrows that can be up to 2.5 m deep
The page saysInvertebrates, including other scorpions, and small rodents, lizards and snakes
The source saysfeed on a variety of invertebrates including other scorpions as well as small vertebrates such as rodents, lizards, and snakes

Source
06

Hadley 1970

Hadley (1970). Water Relations of the Desert Scorpion, Hadrurus Arizonensis. Journal of Experimental Biology.

The page saysA desert hairy scorpion's water-loss rate is well below that of other desert arthropods under similar conditions
The source saysTotal water-loss rates for Hadrurus arizonensis ... are comparable to rates for Old World species and are well below rates for other desert arthropods under similar conditions.
The page saysIn dead scorpions, water lost through the cuticle, the outer covering, alone exceeds the total water loss of living ones, which the study's author read as evidence of an active water-retaining mechanism in the cuticle
The source saysCuticular water-loss values in dead scorpions exceed those of total water loss in living scorpions. The increased cuticular permeability after death is interpreted as evidence for the existence of an active cuticular water-retaining mechanism.
The page saysThe cuticle becomes abruptly more permeable, or leakier to water, between 35 and 40°C, and again between 65 and 70°C
The source saysabrupt increases in cuticular permeability occurring between 35 and 40°C and between 65 and 70°C

Source
07

Fox, Cooper & Hayes 2015

Fox, Cooper & Hayes (2015). The Dilemma of Choosing a Reference Character for Measuring Sexual Size Dimorphism, Sexual Body Component Dimorphism, and Character Scaling: Cryptic Dimorphism and Allometry in the Scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis. PLOS ONE.

The page saysThose are pectines, sensory organs that detect both physical and chemical cues from the ground
The source saysPectines comprise sensory organs that detect both physical [27] and chemical cues from the substrate
The page saysMales use them to follow the scent trails females lay down and to judge whether a surface suits a sperm packet
The source saysThe enhanced pectines of males are associated with mating, as they can follow the pheromonal trails laid down by females ... and assess appropriate substrates for spermatophore deposition
The page saysadult males' pectines are about 17 percent longer than females' on average
The source saysmales had significantly larger Chela L (2.17%), Met 1 L (5.33%), Met 5 L (6.57%) and Met 5 W (1.74%), Met L (7.81%), Tot L (2.89%), and Pec L (17.09%)Note: Pec L is pectine length, so 'larger Pec L (17.09%)' is 'longer'; 17.09% rounded to 'about 17 percent'

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.