September 28, 2024 • 3 mins
Scorpions light up a glowing green under ultraviolet light. Science isn't entirely sure how but has a few theories on why. (Y'know, aside from "Scorpions are metal.") Learn more about scorpions' fluorescence in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/why-scorpions-glow-under-black-light.htm
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,
Lauren vogel bomb here with a classic episode of the podcast.
This one is about the wonderfully strange phenomenon of scorpions
glowing green under black lights. Not velvet paintings of scorpions,
actual scorpions, Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vocal bomb here. Some
(00:26):
animals are just over the top. Take scorpions. Is it
not enough that these stinging arachnids can survive some of
the harshest climates in the world and live twenty five
times longer than your average cockroach? Or that some species
don't need males to reproduce and can live up to
forty eight hours without oxygen, and that all of them
will eat almost anything they can subdue, even other scorpions. No,
(00:51):
it's apparently not enough, because scorpions also glow electric cyam
green under ultraviolet light. Why they do this is a
bit of a mystery, but it makes them pretty easy
to study. All a scorpion researcher has to do to
find scorpions is go out into the desert at night
with a black light and watch those suckers light up
like Christmas trees. Chemically speaking, Nobody.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Is exactly sure what causes scorpions to glow, but we
know its powerful stuff. When a scorpion is preserved in alcohol,
the alcohol itself will fluoresce. Scorpion fossils have even been
induced to glow under black light after hundreds of millions
of years. What we do know is the chemicals that
make a scorpion so rave ready are in the outer layer,
(01:35):
or cuticle, of its exoskeleton. Scientists call it the highland layer.
Scorpions molt their exoskeleton every so often in order to grow,
and researchers have observed that until the slightly mushy outer
shell has entirely hardened, the highlind layer does not fluoresce
under UV light. This is all pretty weird. Why would
(01:55):
an animal evolve to glow under ultraviolet light? Researchers have
posited a bunch of different ideas. Scorpion fluorescents might help
them find each other in the dark, protect them from sunlight,
or even confuse their prey. But there's another promising theory
that scorpions are somehow using their fluorescence to detect UV light,
(02:15):
mostly because they want to avoid it. They're night hunters,
after all, and a scorpion will always find the darkest
place to hang out during the day or even in
the moonlight. A study published in the Journal of Arachnology
in twenty ten tested normal fluorescing scorpions and a group
of scorpions that they had reduced the fluorescence of with
prolonged exposure to UV light. The normal scorpions then reacted
(02:38):
more strongly and negatively to UV light than the desensitized scorpions.
But wait, you might be thinking. Scorpions still have eyes,
and as it turns out, they can visually see light
within the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, but it doesn't
seem like the scorpions were reacting visually. A separate study
published in Animal Behavior in twenty twelve basically blindfolded a
(03:02):
group of scorpions and found that the critters still reacted
to the presence of ultraviolet light. So it seems that
they're using their entire bodies as giant UV seeking eyeballs,
and that if they sense that they're glowing at all,
it's time to scurry off somewhere darker. Today's episode is
(03:25):
based on the article why scorpions glow under black Life
on how stuffworks dot com. Written by Jesslinshields. Brain Stuff
is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how stuffworks dot Com.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my
heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,
Lauren vogel bomb here with a classic episode of the podcast.
This one is about the wonderfully strange phenomenon of scorpions
glowing green under black lights. Not velvet paintings of scorpions,
actual scorpions, Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vocal bomb here. Some
(00:26):
animals are just over the top. Take scorpions. Is it
not enough that these stinging arachnids can survive some of
the harshest climates in the world and live twenty five
times longer than your average cockroach? Or that some species
don't need males to reproduce and can live up to
forty eight hours without oxygen, and that all of them
will eat almost anything they can subdue, even other scorpions. No,
(00:51):
it's apparently not enough, because scorpions also glow electric cyam
green under ultraviolet light. Why they do this is a
bit of a mystery, but it makes them pretty easy
to study. All a scorpion researcher has to do to
find scorpions is go out into the desert at night
with a black light and watch those suckers light up
like Christmas trees. Chemically speaking, Nobody.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Is exactly sure what causes scorpions to glow, but we
know its powerful stuff. When a scorpion is preserved in alcohol,
the alcohol itself will fluoresce. Scorpion fossils have even been
induced to glow under black light after hundreds of millions
of years. What we do know is the chemicals that
make a scorpion so rave ready are in the outer layer,
(01:35):
or cuticle, of its exoskeleton. Scientists call it the highland layer.
Scorpions molt their exoskeleton every so often in order to grow,
and researchers have observed that until the slightly mushy outer
shell has entirely hardened, the highlind layer does not fluoresce
under UV light. This is all pretty weird. Why would
(01:55):
an animal evolve to glow under ultraviolet light? Researchers have
posited a bunch of different ideas. Scorpion fluorescents might help
them find each other in the dark, protect them from sunlight,
or even confuse their prey. But there's another promising theory
that scorpions are somehow using their fluorescence to detect UV light,
(02:15):
mostly because they want to avoid it. They're night hunters,
after all, and a scorpion will always find the darkest
place to hang out during the day or even in
the moonlight. A study published in the Journal of Arachnology
in twenty ten tested normal fluorescing scorpions and a group
of scorpions that they had reduced the fluorescence of with
prolonged exposure to UV light. The normal scorpions then reacted
(02:38):
more strongly and negatively to UV light than the desensitized scorpions.
But wait, you might be thinking. Scorpions still have eyes,
and as it turns out, they can visually see light
within the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, but it doesn't
seem like the scorpions were reacting visually. A separate study
published in Animal Behavior in twenty twelve basically blindfolded a
(03:02):
group of scorpions and found that the critters still reacted
to the presence of ultraviolet light. So it seems that
they're using their entire bodies as giant UV seeking eyeballs,
and that if they sense that they're glowing at all,
it's time to scurry off somewhere darker. Today's episode is
(03:25):
based on the article why scorpions glow under black Life
on how stuffworks dot com. Written by Jesslinshields. Brain Stuff
is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how stuffworks dot Com.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my
heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
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