Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Scorpions Reinforce Stingers and Claws With Metal, Study Finds

The peer-reviewed analysis links element placement to how species hunt.

Rough thicktail scorpion (Parabuthus raudus). Paratuthus scorpions' venom is quick-acting, so they do not need to rely as much on their pincers to capture prey. (Credit: Peter Webb)
African fattail scorpion (Androctonus amoreuxi)
© Sam Campbell/National Museum of Natural History
SE micrograph of the entire telson (stinger) of the Tanzanian red bark scorpion (Babycurus Jacksoni). Image includes the telson vesicle, in which the two venom producing glands can be found. Muscles surrounding the glands will contract internally, pushing venom up through conduits to the tip of the telson (termed the aculeus). This species also features a subaculear tubercle (small protrusion above the stinger) with an unknown function. Credit© Sam Campbell/University of Queensland

Overview

  • The Smithsonian-led study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, confirms that scorpion weapons contain transition metals that harden the parts that stab and cut.
  • High-resolution imaging shows zinc packed at the stinger tip with a layer of manganese below it, while the claw’s cutting edges carry zinc or a zinc–iron mix.
  • Species that rely more on stinging tend to load zinc into the tail tip, while pincer-focused species show more zinc in the claws, pointing to an evolutionary trade-off in metal use.
  • Iron shows up most in long, slender grasping claws rather than thick crushing ones, which suggests it helps those finer claws resist wear and avoid snapping as prey struggles.
  • Researchers mapped metals in 18 species from museum collections using electron microscopes and micro X-ray fluorescence that charts elements with X-rays, and they present the workflow as a template for broader tests across scorpions and other arthropods.