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04-07-2007, 10:00 AM
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scorpion suicide
hello,
my friends desert hairy somehow managed to sting its self last night and as a result died. ive never heard of this before, Does anybody know if this kinda thing is common or not or if somethings likely to of stress the animal out to the point where it kills its self? thanks alot 
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04-07-2007, 10:05 AM
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How bizarre! Stupid scorp
 Not something I've ever heard of, I've had spiders pull their own legs off but never had a critter kill itself. Wonder if is if possible it 'missed' an annoying cricket? Was the sting stuck in scorp when found him dead or could it be it just looked that way 'cos it had gone limp after death?
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www.dafoot.co.uk FrozenBanana, my pics-Now includes couple of the Sheffield(UK) flooding. Flickr
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04-07-2007, 10:41 AM
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I once read that scorps have been known to top themselves when the conditions aren't right, but I'm not sure if it's just a 'story'. I do know that is a crix/locust was on the scorps back biting away and really peeing it of it may try to sting it. Also, had your friend been doing tank maintenance? As scorps are known for stining themselves to death if they come into contact with alcohol, so maybe there are other liquids (maybe one used by your friend lately) that may irritate it enough to kill its self.
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04-07-2007, 10:47 AM
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Suicide misconception
The belief that scorpions commit suicide by stinging themselves to death when surrounded by fire is of considerable antiquity and is often prevalent where these animals exist. It is nevertheless untrue since the venom has no effect on the scorpion itself, nor on any member of the same species (unless the venom is injected directly into the scorpion's nerve ganglion—quite an unlikely event outside of the laboratory). The misconception may derive from the fact that scorpions are poikilotherms (cold-blooded): when exposed to intense heat their metabolic processes malfunction. This causes the scorpion to spasm wildly and this spasming may appear as if the scorpion is stinging itself. It is also untrue that alcohol will cause scorpions to sting themselves to death.
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04-07-2007, 11:42 AM
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I'm pretty sure a scorps sting does effect other scorps of the same species as during emp mating the male injects a small amout of venom into the female to sudue her.
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04-07-2007, 12:16 PM
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I'm sure it's own venom can hurt it. Many scorps use venom to get the mate to quiet down a bit.
The venom works on a several levels affecting respiration and nervous functions, these systems have a lot in common across most of the animal kingdom. As such, an immunity would seem (to me at least) highly unlikely. Idea that any animal would willfully kill itself seems unlikely to me (going against the strongest of all animal instincts - to survive). I'd happy to be proved wrong.
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www.dafoot.co.uk FrozenBanana, my pics-Now includes couple of the Sheffield(UK) flooding. Flickr
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04-07-2007, 12:57 PM
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scorpion venom is not deadly to scorpions.
Plenty of actual scientific research out there rather than opinions. The myth of scorpion suicide: are scorpions insensitive to their own venom? -- Legros et al. 201 (1  : 2625 -- Journal of Experimental Biologyand in *much* more details here, including test of snake venom on the scorpion and it's reletives. http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/201/18/2625.pdf If you watch king cobras fight you'll see they are long battles not always ending in the death of either snake. If their own venom was as potent on them as is it on everything else it would be first biter wins or both get bitten and both dies, king cobras can take many bites of an opponent snake before dying, they can taske several and concede the fight (run away) and survive. Mason
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