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How to Distinguish Between Female & Male Scorpions

Scorpions belong to the family Arachnida, which means they are related to spiders. Scorpions typically hide during the day and become active at night. Although most scorpions live in dry areas, such as the southern and southwestern areas of the U.S., other species thrive in forests, grasslands and caves. Scorpion stings can be painful and even life-threatening in some cases. Although it is difficult to distinguish male scorpions from female scorpions from a distance, adult scorpions have some different characteristics.

Instructions

- 1
  Examine the size of the scorpion. Female scorpions are typically larger than male scorpions. However, because different species of scorpions vary in size, it is necessary to know which type of scorpion you are examining or have several scorpions to compare.
- 2
  Examine the width of the scorpion's body. Male scorpions are usually thinner than female scorpions.
- 3
  Flip the scorpion over, if it is dead, to examine the pectines. The pectines are comb-shaped sense organs located on the scorpion's abdomen. Male scorpions tend to have longer pectines and sometimes have larger pectinal teeth.

Insects & Science