New research reveals 'master architects' scorpions 'warm up' before hunt

A new research has revealed that scorpions create a platform in their burrows where they warm up before the evening hunt.

Scientist have found that scorpions rely on energy from the environment to regulate their internal temperature and believe that this platform provides a safe, warm spot for the scorpions to increase their body temperature before they leave their hiding places to forage at night.

The researchers found that the burrows followed a very sophisticated design, beginning with a short, vertical entrance shaft that flattened out a few centimeters below the surface into a horizontal platform, then turn sharply downwards, descending further below ground to form a dead-end chamber, and the cool and humid chamber, where evaporation water loss is minimal, provides a refuge for the scorpions to rest during the heat of the day.

According to the study, the design was common to the entire scorpion burrows studied, which suggests that burrow building in scorpions has evolved by natural selection to meet the animals' physiological needs.

The study was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Manchester.