Scorpions spray acid to make enemies run away, Vietnam is full of them!

Distributed in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, the Uropygi order includes scorpions with unique appearances and interesting biological characteristics.

With a head and body length that can reach 85 mm when fully grown, these scorpions look quite similar to real scorpions, but possess a thin whip-like tail.

Whip scorpions have large claws like scorpions, but with an additional large spine on the tip of each claw.

Of the 8 pairs of legs, whip scorpions only use six legs to move, while the first two legs are sensory organs similar to antennae. They have large claws like scorpions but with an additional large spike on the tip of each claw. Whip scorpions observe things with one pair of eyes in the front and three eyes on each side of the head. This characteristic is similar to common scorpions.

There are no venom glands or stingers like real scorpions, but whip scorpions have glands near the back of their abdomen that can squirt out a solution that is a combination of acetic acid and caprylic acid when threatened. The acetic acid component makes the liquid they spray smell like vinegar, leading to their other common name, vinegar scorpions.

The "whip" part of this animal is an extended part of the abdominal exoskeleton, which only serves as a tactile organ, without a stinger as many people mistakenly think.

This type of scorpion possesses a thin, whip-like tail.

As carnivores, whip scorpions hunt at night. They mainly eat insects, millipedes, small scorpions and terrestrial millipedes. Sometimes also eats worms, slugs and smaller vertebrates. The reproductive behavior of whip scorpions is similar to that of common scorpions .

The female lays about 40 eggs. The eggs hatch in the egg sac under the mother's scorpion's abdomen, become white juveniles, climb onto the mother's back and cling to it. Young scorpions develop slowly, undergoing four molts in about four years before reaching maturity. They can live up to four more years.

In the wild, whip scorpions prefer damp and dark places, often digging burrows or burrowing under rotten logs, rocks and other natural debris. Vietnam is home to several species of whip scorpions of the genus Thelyphonus . They are popular in the Southern region, and can be found in Ho Chi Minh City. This species is not dangerous to humans and is useful in controlling the number of harmful insects.