Arizona Bark Scorpions Life Cycles

Arizona bark scorpions look like other scorpions with their crustacean-like appearances. Their menacing demeanor is matched with a venom that ranges in potency. Arizona bark scorpions have a powerful sting that can kill. Their entire temperament is aggressive, from feeding habits to mating rituals. The life cycle of the Arizona bark scorpion follows four stages.

Conception

• The Arizona bark scorpion's mating rituals are different than many others. Once a female has been found by a male an elaborate dance is performed. The male approaches with its pincers and grabs the female, lifting her to a place on the ground where he has deposited his sperm. His pincers then forcibly fertilizes the female by inserting the sperm into her abdomen.

Birth

• Gestation is a long process. The female, once fertilized, holds the embryonic scorpions inside her for several months to a year, when 24 to 35 young scorpions emerge. They are born in pairs while the mother folds her legs inward. They reside on their mother's back until their first molt, which typically occurs within a couple of weeks.

First Molt

• The babies are white and spend much of their early life with their mother, until the first molt within seven to 30 days. Molting is a dangerous time for young scorpions because they are exposed to the elements for several days until their casing hardens. Their color progressively changes to a darker shade. After molting, the young scorpions return to their mother's back and stay for about four to five days.

Adulthood

• After the young scorpions leave their mother and go out on their own, they molt five or six times before reaching adulthood. At each molt their exoskeleton structure hardens until it reaches maturity. Their color and pattern also become distinguished. Adult Arizona bark scorpions live for about three to five years.