Of the 70-plus types of scorpions that live in the United States, only 1 of them lives in the state of Wyoming. The Cowboy state’s only scorpion species is (Paruroctonus boreus), or the Northern Scorpion.
Wyoming is also home to 2 scorpion-like arachnid species. These are the pseudoscorpion and the wind scorpion. We’ll talk in more depth about Wyoming’s northern scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and wind scorpions in the paragraphs below.
The Northern Scorpion (Paruroctonus boreus)
The northern scorpion or boreal scorpion is a species of scorpion in the family Vaejovidae. It is the only scorpion species found in Wyoming. This is probably because it is the only scorpion species that is able to survive the state’s harsh winters.
Northern scorpions are found in 12 U.S. states and 3 Canadian provinces. The northern scorpion species’ range begins in northern Arizona and goes north to southwestern Canada. In the United States, northern scorpions live in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, and Washington. In Canada, Northern Scorpions live in southern British Columbia, southern Alberta, and southern Saskatchewan. See
What do northern scorpions look like?
Scorpions look a little bit like tiny land-dwelling lobsters with some distinctions. Lobsters have 10 legs, while scorpions have 8, and of course, lobsters don’t have a bulbous venom-packed stinger on the end of their tail, while scorpions do.
Northern scorpions have segmented sections in their exoskeletons that range in color from light brown to dark brown. What’s more, they have a proportionately thin, long tail with a stinger on the tip and two lobster-like front pinchers that do not function as legs. In size, an adult northern scorpion will be 35mm to 55mm (1.37 to 2.16 inches) long. Northern scorpions display sexual dimorphism, with females being consistently larger than males. See
Northern scorpions are nocturnal, meaning that they come out and are active at night. Inversely, they are mostly inactive during the day.
As most scorpions do, they have fluorescent compounds in their exoskeletons that make them glow under ultraviolet light. If you are camping in an area where northern scorpions are active, it’s a good idea to go armed with an ultraviolet flashlight. Use the UV light to scan your campsite after dark, after 9:30 PM to be exact.
Although the sting from a northern scorpion generally isn’t very dangerous, it still wouldn’t do to share your sleeping bag with one. Like all scorpions, northern scorpions are nocturnal hunters. As such, they will be out and about after dark, searching for small prey such as grasshopper nymphs.
Northern Scorpion Behavior
Like most scorpions, northern scorpions are nocturnal. In fact, they are most active between 9:30 PM and 11:00 PM. If they have not come out of their burrows by 11:00 PM, it is unlikely that they will immerge to feed that night. Additionally, they will not come out of their burrows to hunt during a rainstorm and are much less active for 3 to 5 days after a rainstorm.
Northern scorpions are burrowing scorpions. As such, they are similar to other North American burrowing scorpions, such as the Northern Desert Hairy Scorpion, in that they seldom venture more than a dozen feet from their lairs to hunt. In the fall season, it’s not uncommon for them to move inside some manmade structure to live out the months of cold weather. However, they usually hibernate through the winter months in their underground burrows.
The percentage of the time that northern scorpions utilize their venom to subdue their prey falls dramatically with the age of the scorpion. Northern scorpions that are less than 2 months old use their stingers each time they subdue prey. On the other hand, adults which have more strength in their pedipalps only use their stingers around 30% of the time. The other 70% of the time, they opt to subdue their prey using only their pedipalps to grasp it until it ceases to struggle. See
Northern scorpions are born alive. When the female gives birth, she assumes a sitting position on her hind legs. She will give birth to 10 to 40 young.
After the newborn northern scorpions free themselves from the birth membrane, they will climb up their mother’s walking legs and onto her back. They will ride there in a grouped formation, only climbing down to feed on pellets that their mother creates for them when she feeds until they are sufficiently old to strike out on their own. See
Are Northern Scorpions Dangerous?
Unlike Arizona Bark scorpions, for example, which are the most dangerous scorpions in North America, Northern scorpions are not particularly dangerous to humans.
Northern scorpions seldom sting humans. They reserve their venom to subdue their prey animals which include small insects and arachnids. What’s more, the sting from a northern scorpion is no more dangerous than a wasp sting. However, all scorpion stings carry the possibility of severe allergic reactions. If you or someone you know experiences slurred speech or difficulty breathing after being stung by a scorpion, seek immediate medical attention.
Predators of Northern Scorpions
Northern scorpions are territorial creatures. In fact, in the case of Northern scorpions of differing sizes, a percentage of the time, the larger scorpion will kill and eat the smaller one. See
The state of Wyoming is home to the Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus). Pallid bats are unique in that they hunt for their prey on or near the ground. Pallid bats live in the semi-arid regions of western North America but also in Cuba. In Wyoming, pallid bats feed on arthropods such as grasshoppers, crickets, and northern scorpions. What’s more, when prickly pear and barrel cactuses are in bloom, these bats include cactus flower nectar in their diets. See
In the deserts of the American Southwest, pallid bats are famous for hunting the Arizona bark scorpion, which is the most venomous scorpion in North America. Scientific studies indicate that they are immune to scorpion venom.
One more interesting scorpion predator in Wyoming is the northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster). Grasshopper mice are carnivores that feed on arthropods like grasshoppers, crickets, and scorpions. Interestingly, grasshopper mice are immune to and impervious to the pain from scorpion stings. These little rodents are scary tough predators that are famous for emitting a howl just before they go in for the kill. See
Pseudoscorpions in Wyoming
Pseudoscorpions, which also have the common names of book scorpion or false scorpion, are a tiny arachnid that looks a lot like a tiny scorpion minus the stinger. They have a flat, pear-shaped body, eight legs, and two long pedipalps with pinchers on the ends, just like scorpions. However, although they share some similarities with scorpions, they are not actual scorpions.
People also sometimes mistake these tiny little creatures for ticks. There are over 3,300 pseudoscorpion species worldwide, and their average body length is just 3 millimeters.
Book scorpions don’t have a stinger on their tail. However, they do have a stinger in each pincher. They inject their prey with venom to immobilize it. After which, they secrete a fluid over it to dissolve it so that they can ingest the liquified remains.
These tiny arachnids spin silk that they secrete from glands in their jaws. They use this silk to construct cocoons for the purposes of mating, molting, or taking shelter during the winter months.
Book scorpions are generally beneficial to humans since they prey on pests such as clothes moth larvae, carpet beetle larvae, booklice, ants, mites, and small flies. See
Wind Scorpions in Wyoming
Another interesting arachnid that you might run across in Wyoming is the wind scorpion. Wind scorpions are also sometimes called sun spiders or camel spiders. In fact, Wyoming’s wind scorpions are a smaller cousin to the giant camel spiders found in the middle east.
These creatures have strong jaws that are capable of delivering a painful bite. However, they are not venomous. These arachnids are noted for their aggressive behavior, whether it be in hunting or self-defense.
They look like a cross between a spider and a scorpion, but they are actually neither. They are an arachnid, but they are from the order sollifugae. Sollifugae are unique among arachnids in that they have 10 legs rather than 8. They use their front pair of legs in concert with their sense of sight to feel out the route in front of them. There are more than 1000 sollifugae species that live in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. See
In North America, most wind scorpion species are nocturnal. They spend the daylight hours in shallow burrows, under rocks, wood debris, or dried cattle dung. They are extremely quick, aggressive predators that feed on anything they can catch. This includes insects, other arachnids, or animals that are several times their size, such as small lizards and small rodents. See
Also see:
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Wyoming
