Alexial via Blacklight

This is Alexial when she was young and chubby. She's a deathstalker scorpion, Leiurus quinquestriatus.
In normal light she looks like this, though in the following photo she's all grown up:
www.flickr.com/photos/furryscalyman/356870862

You should NEVER leave a blacklight on a scorpion long-term. The intense UV rays will eventually kill the nocturnal animal. Some pet stores market scorpion habitats with blacklights because they look cool, but they don't tell you the facts.

Here she is featured at UglyOverload.com on June 24, 2007:
uglyoverload.blogspot.com/2007/06/as-you-requested.html

and here, at The Gist, on Smithsonian.com:
thegist.smithsonianmag.com/archives/165

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Comments

Moshpitrockchick says:

I think I may buy scorps just so I can do a series of UV shots...
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

Furryscaly says:

Get those Scorpio maurus palmatus that you liked. Then when you're done taking pics you can send them my way ; )
Posted 38 months ago. ( permalink )

dangriga says:

Please add this photo to:

Thank you
Posted 31 months ago. ( permalink )

Stewart Macdonald says:

Hi Matt,

Why shouldn't you keep them under UV for a prolonged period? What time span are we talking about? Do they get cancer?

Stewart
Posted 29 months ago. ( permalink )

Furryscaly says:

Scorpions are very sensitive to any type of light, but especially UV. Prolonged exposure to bright light stresses them out and is harmful to their eyes, as they're nocturnal and hide from it naturally. The UV rays of a blacklight are just as harmful, if not moreso. It won't give them cancer, it will basically stress them to death.

It is thought that the UV-reflecting properties of their exoskeleton are a natural defense against sunlight, but if you kept them in light like this for days, the stress would be quite severe. I put the warning up because some people think it would look "cool" to house a scorpion in a blacklight habitat, but to do so would be bad for the scorpion.

I only use the blacklight when I show my friends, or for short photoshoots, or to find a lost scorpion. Other than that they are kept in darkness.
Posted 29 months ago. ( permalink )

Ruthven78 says:

I wonder though if the reflective property might be away for them to "identify" each other in the moon light or other night times when UV light might be a more visible level of light than our visible light spectrum. Cat urine also gloes under blacklight which is another reason I think such properties exist specifically for the species, maybe they can see the glow in natural light but we cannot since we dont "see" the UV spectrum....I dunno
Posted 28 months ago. ( permalink )

Furryscaly says:

Their vision is quite poor actually, and they don't naturally glow at night cause there's no UV rays when it's dark out ; ) Many scientists think it's actually a form of built-in sunblock. It reflects some of the harmful UV rays in case they get caught outside in the daytime. Being nocturnal, sunlight can be harmful to them. Or, as others have suggested, it could just be a freak byproduct of the materials in their exoskeleton with no real purpose.
Posted 28 months ago. ( permalink )

ricecakes885 says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Macro (Bright & Colorful ONLY), and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink )

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	Bugs (Pool)
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	Scorpions (Pool)
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	Bugs Group (Pool)
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	Creepy Crawlers (Pool)
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	All scorpions (Pool)
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	Macro (Bright & Colorful ONLY) (Pool)
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Taken on April 7, 2006
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Alexial via Blacklight

Comments

Moshpitrockchick says:

Furryscaly says:

dangriga says:

Stewart Macdonald says:

Furryscaly says:

Ruthven78 says:

Furryscaly says:

ricecakes885 says:

Would you like to comment?

Bugs (Pool)

Scorpions (Pool)

Bugs Group (Pool)

Creepy Crawlers (Pool)

All scorpions (Pool)

Macro (Bright & Colorful ONLY) (Pool)

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