Fattail Scorpion

Fattail Scorpion

There are about eighteen species within the genus Androctonus. All of them can go by the common name of Fattail Scorpion. These arachnids live in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa and the Middle East, and have venom that is strong enough to kill a human!

Fattail Scorpions get their name from the fact that "tail" is pretty thick, compared to those of other Scorpion types. Did you know that Scorpions do not eat solid food? They hunt insects, especially Crickets, and when they inject the venom their prey's insides turn to liquid, which the Scorpion then slurps up!

As previously mentioned, Fattail Scorpions are capable of killing people. One particular species, A. australis, is responsible for several deaths every year throughout their wide range, and has the highest number of deaths attributed to it overall among Scorpions. They often live near human habitation, and there is an anti-venom, but even those who receive fast treatment can experience lingering side-effects, including headaches and loss of feeling.

Interestingly, there are people who keep Fattail Scorpions as pets, but they are defiantly not recommend for beginners, due (obviously) to their dangerous and aggressive nature.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Africa and the Middle East
Size : Length up to 4in (10cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Arachnida -- Order : Scorpiones
Family : Buthidae -- Genus : Androctonus 

Driver Ants

Dorylus sp.

Today we're going to learn about a genus of Ant called Dorylus. Their are sometimes referred to as  "Driver Ants" or "Safari Ants." There are 63 different species within this genus, and they can be found mostly in Africa, with a few ranges extending into southern Asia. Driver Ants are known for their ground scavenging raids, where large numbers of ants will find, take, and steal food.

Driver Ants are also interesting because of the seasonal migrations that they make in search of food. When supplies run short, the colonies (which can number in the tens of millions) form a massive marching column that slowly moves to a new supply. These columns are very defensive, and will attack anything that gets in their way-- including humans! The soldiers have very strong jaws that can leave significant puncture wounds. Large numbers of ants can even kill and consume much larger creatures than them, like Rats.

Queens within this genus are some of the largest ants in the world. D. molestus, an East African species, has queens that can grow nearly 3in long! As with most ants, the drones are all sterile females. Males (sometimes called "Sausage Flies for their huge abdomens) actually leave the colony soon after hatching, but will be drawn back to the smell of them once they are mature. When the Drones find a male, they rip off his wings and bring him to the queen for mating. He dies shortly afterward.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Africa, Asia
Size :  Worker size from 3-11mm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Hymenoptera
Family : Formicidae -- Genus : Dorylus

Bagheera kiplingi

Bagheera kiplingi

Today's animal is rather unusual-- it has an almost exclusively herbivorous diet, which makes it very unique among the 40,000 different spider species out there!

Bagheera kiplingi was only first discovered in 2008. It is a species of jumping spider that is native to Central America. Like other Jumping Spdiers, it possesses large eyes and the ability to leap large distances (as far as 50 times their body size). Unlike its cousins, however, it does not hunt its food.

B. kiplingi has figured out a way to steal nutritious protein and fat-rich nubs from Acacia trees. These nubs, called Beltian Bodies, are formed due to a symbiotic relationship between the Acacia tree and Ants. The Spiders ignore the Ants that guard the Bodies, and feed almost exclusively on the nubs. I say "almost exclusively" because the Spiders do sometimes feed on the Ant larvae as well, but it is a very small percentage of their diet.

B. kiplingi exhibits sexual dimorphism-- the males have a dark greenish cephalothorax, while the female's is reddish brown. Females also have much larger abdomens.

And for those who were curious, Bagheera kiplingi is named after the Panther in Kipling's The Jungle Book and Kipling himself. The Genus named was derived back in 1896 by George and Elizabeth Peckham. They named a handful of other genera after Kipling characters as well.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Central America
Size : Length around 2cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Arachnida -- Order : Araneae
Family : Salticidae -- Genus : Bagheera -- Species : B. kiplingi

Daring Jumping Spider

Phidippus audax

Daring Jumping Spiders are common jumpers in North America. They are large for their family, and are predominantly black with some spots or stripes on the legs and abdomen. They also have incredibly shiny, metallic blue-green mouth parts (called Chelicerae).

Compared to body size, humans can't jump very far. Even the very best long jumpers only make it to distances of 3-4 times their height. The Daring Jumping Spider has us beat for sure! These little 2cm Spiders can leap between 10 and 50 times their own size!

So why do they need to make such gigantic jumps? Well, unlike many other Spiders, the Daring Jumpers do not build webs to hunt. They actively stalk their prey, using their amazing vision (their family has the sharpest eyesight among all Spiders). When they spot a meal, they leap after it from afar.

The spiders also use their great legs and eyes in courtship rituals. They are able to perform different dances, and can be seen from far away. Daring Jumping Spiders do actually build webs, but only for egg laying or shelter purposes.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : North America
Size : Length up to 20mm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Arachnida -- Order : Araneae
Family : Salticidae -- Genus : Phidippus -- Species : P. audax