AfricaNot evaluated
Emperor scorpion
Pandinus imperator
One of the biggest scorpions, living in West African forests and grasslands.
- Weight
- About 30 g
- Size
- Up to 20 cm long
- Lifespan
- 6–8 years
- Top speed
- Slow walker
- Diet
- Insects and small animals
How heavy is that?
So light that a 40 kg kid weighs as much as 1,333 of them
Where it lives
Three things to know
- It glows blue-green under ultraviolet light.
- Its sting is mild: it uses its big claws more.
- Mothers carry their babies on their backs.
Compare with…
- Weight
- Emperor scorpion30 gA 10-year-old kid40 kgThe kid weighs about 1,333× as much as the emperor scorpion
- Size
- Emperor scorpion20 cmA 10-year-old kid1.4 mThe kid is about 7× as big as the emperor scorpion
- Top speed
- Emperor scorpion—A 10-year-old kid20 km/hToo slow to time
- Lifespan
- Emperor scorpion8 yrsA 10-year-old kid80 yrsThe kid can live about 10× as long as the emperor scorpion
Food chain
- LeavesProducer
- Insects
Emperor scorpionThis animal- Mongoose