Date: July 10, 2014
Source: American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Summary: The burrows made by scorpions follow a very sophisticated design, beginning with a short, vertical entrance shaft that flattened out a few centimeters below the surface into a horizontal platform, new research has found. The burrows then turn sharply downwards, descending further below ground to form a dead-end chamber. This cool, humid chamber, where evaporation water loss is minimal, provides a refuge for the scorpions to rest during the heat of the day.
Black Scorpion (stock image). Scorpions are predatory arachnids, found on all continents except Antarctica. They occupy a range of habitats, including forests, grasslands, mountains and deserts. Their varied diets include arthropods, lizards and even small rodents.
Credit: © praisaeng / Fotolia
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev scientists have discovered that scorpions create a platform in their burrows where they warm up before the evening hunt.
As ectothermic animals, scorpions rely on energy from the environment to regulate their internal temperature. The researchers believe that this platform provides a safe, warm spot for the scorpions to increase their body temperature before they leave their hiding places to forage at night.
After trapping the wild large-clawed scorpions (Scorpio Maurus Palmatus) in Israel's Negev desert the researchers filled their burrows with molten aluminum to make replica casts. Once solidified, they were unearthed and analyzed by a 3-D laser scanner and software.
The researchers found that the burrows followed a very sophisticated design, beginning with a short, vertical entrance shaft that flattened out a few centimeters below the surface into a horizontal platform.
The burrows then turn sharply downwards, descending further below ground to form a dead-end chamber. This cool, humid chamber, where evaporation water loss is minimal, provides a refuge for the scorpions to rest during the heat of the day.
The design was common to all the scorpion burrows studied, which suggests that burrow building in scorpions has evolved by natural selection to meet the animals' physiological needs.
"Very little is known about burrow environments," says Dr. Amanda Adams who presented the study at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Manchester, United Kingdom on July 3, 2014.
She is a post-doctoral research fellow in the Marco and Louise Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology at BGU's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research. Her co-researcher and advisor for the study is Prof. Berry Pinshow.
"We plan to expand our studies to more scorpion species around the world to test how burrow structure is shaped to be part of the burrow builder's extended physiology. Understanding the relationship between environmental conditions and burrow structures, meanwhile, could help to predict how burrow-builders will respond to climate change.
Scorpions are predatory arachnids, found on all continents except Antarctica. They occupy a range of habitats, including forests, grasslands, mountains and deserts. Their varied diets include arthropods, lizards and even small rodents.
Source:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140710161525.htm
Scorpions are master architects, according to new research
- Edge Guerrero
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Scorpions are master architects, according to new research
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Very cool. Reminds me of when they used the molten metal to study ant burrows:
^ yeah that's what I was thinking, Luigi
- I would like to see a cast of the scorpion's 'architecture', or at least some kind of illustration/3D model
fascinating
- I would like to see a cast of the scorpion's 'architecture', or at least some kind of illustration/3D model
fascinating
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Luigi wrote:Very cool. Reminds me of when they used the molten metal to study ant burrows:
- Those animals are very inteligent, spiders do several hight level structures with their webs too.
Small spiders can even use their webds to kind of flye, like Spider-man does with his web parachute:
Many small spiders use silk threads for ballooning, the popular, though technically inaccurate, scientific term for the dynamic kiting[1][2] spiderlings (mostly) use for dispersal. They extrude several threads into the air and let themselves be carried away by winds. Although most rides will end a few yards later, it seems to be a common way for spiders to invade islands. Many sailors have reported that spiders have been caught in their ship's sails, even when far from land. The extremely fine silk used by spiders for ballooning is known as gossamer.[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_silk
Masato wrote:^ yeah that's what I was thinking, Luigi
- I would like to see a cast of the scorpion's 'architecture', or at least some kind of illustration/3D model
fascinating
- I tried to find some pictures, but didn't get lucky.
- I rent this space for advertising
Don't be selfish, preserve this world for the next generations.
I'll never long for what might have been
Regret won't waste my life again
I won't look back I'll fight to remain
Don't be selfish, preserve this world for the next generations.
I'll never long for what might have been
Regret won't waste my life again
I won't look back I'll fight to remain
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