Scorpion Whelps

Danielle made the mistake of stumbling across this photo while eating strawberry cheesecake ice cream. Her floor nearly received its first ever regurgitated lactose treatment.

There are around 1,400 species of identified scorpions worldwide. Not all are found in the desert. They can be found in the tropics, in intertidal zones, mountainous forests, and some have even been found under rocks at the snowy elevation of 12,000 feet in the Himalaya mountains (yes, just one more threat to consider while trying to reach the summit).

Not all scorpions sport young ones on their back, but this is a trademark of many a scorpion species: the mothers toting their young around on their backs until the young have their first molt. That must be a bittersweet moment for the mother. Watching, with a heavy but happy heart, her baby molt, knowing that it will venture out into the world, eat insects, frighten humans, and propagate the species. But she's no doubt relieved to have fewer scorpion whelps (great band name!) to cart around.

Thanks, Danielle. Next time you're eating you might want to surf the cuter web shores.