Aug 13, 2005 12:55 pm US/Central
CBS 2 At Brookfield Zoo: Emperor Scorpion
Find Out More About This Interesting Creature
by Susan Carlson
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
They're creepy-looking and they can sting you: it's no surprise that most people don't want to get too close to a scorpion. But these fascinating creatures are also now being used in medical research. Susan Carlson takes us inside the scorpion tank in this week's visit to Brookfield Zoo.
You will have to be brave today, because we are here with some creepy crawlers at Brookfield Zoo. Andre Copeland is going to introduce us to a beautiful, cuddly scorpion! It is a female emperor scorpion. They're one of the wonders of the arthropod world.
They're actually very interesting creatures, but how does Andre know it's a female?
"Well, you can see how fat the young lady is -- and I'm just talking about the scorpion," he joked.
"He said that, not me," Susan told the scorpion. "I don't want her to get mad at me."
"That's okay," Andre said, "because scorpions are just about blind and deaf, believe it or not. They find their way by using special appendages on the underside of their body that detect sound vibrations.
"Are they dangerous?" Susan asked. "I'm a little nervous standing so close to them and you hear the stories about them being poisonous."
"All scorpions are venomous but you do have some varieties that are more toxic than others. The general the rule is, the fatter the claws in the front – the pedipalps -- and the thinner the tail, the more mild the venom; the thinner the claws and the fatter tails, those are the scorpions you really have to watch out for," said Andre.
One thing that's fascinating about scorpion venom is that it is actually being put to good use in medical research.
Andre said, "Right now they're studying scorpion venom because scorpion venom can ride on a specific protein through the brain and attack a very rare brain tumor, shrinking that tumor inside.
Another reason scorpions are fascinating: if we put a black light inside the tank they turn green.
"Well, that is called fluorescing and it is one of the only arthropods that will do it. Researchers feel that scorpions will fluoresce in long wave ultra violet light as a way of attracting moths to them. Scorpions are very clumsy hunters, so it aids if you can have your prey coming to you."
You can see the scorpions up close and personal at Brookfield Zoo.
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