Scorpions

= Caring for your Scorpions = Scorpions are the most ancient lineage of terrestrial higher animals (metazoans) known, with fossils dating back to the Silurian era 400+ millions of years ago. Though diverse in their habitats Scorpions as a group possess an easily recognised form or 'morphology'. They are all fascinating, and a number make excellent pets because they are relatively easy to keep. They will live a number of years, for the larger species more than 6 years, and in many cases can often be kept in small groups unlike other invertebrate carnivores. Most of the 1 500 known species come from hot and dry (i.e. arid) environments, though many of the best species to keep as pets come from tropical rainforests, some species can go months without water, and even longer without food, though it is not good to stress them like this. Most of the species which make good pets can not climb the sides of Glass Tanks or 'Small Pal Pens', in fact there is a general rule of thumb that says; "If a scorpion can climb the walls of its tank then its sting is very dangerous". All species of Scorpions possess a 'sting' in their tail and even in the mildest species this can cause considerable pain, while a number of species are potentially lethal. I do not recommend that anybody who is reading this in order to learn about keeping Scorpions keep any but the gentlest species, see list at the end of this document. Rainforest species need to be kept in a moist habitat at all times, though obviously desert species require a dryer environment, otherwise the basic requirements are the same. Keep them warm, though some species can tolerate cooler temperature they all do best at about 25C. The best method is to house them in a specially heated room, but for most people this is not possible, another alternative is to keep the cage in an airing cabinet. The most common method is to use a heatpad, these come in a variety of shapes and sizes and it is best to talk to your local seller as to what you need. But beware of over heating as scorpions like Cockroaches will burrow to escape excess heat, thus cooking themselves if the heat mat is the problem. A good general estimate is that the pad should rest comfortably under the cage/aquarium so that two thirds of the bottom of the cage is directly over the pad.This allows a gradient of heat to arise giving the cockroaches some choice over wha = Caring for your Scorpions = Scorpions are the most ancient lineage of terrestrial higher animals (metazoans) known, with fossils dating back to the Silurian era 400+ millions of years ago. Though diverse in their habitats Scorpions as a group possess an easily recognised form or 'morphology'. They are all fascinating, and a number make excellent pets because they are relatively easy to keep. They will live a number of years, for the larger species more than 6 years, and in many cases can often be kept in small groups unlike other invertebrate carnivores. Most of the 1 500 known species come from hot and dry (i.e. arid) environments, though many of the best species to keep as pets come from tropical rainforests, some species can go months without water, and even longer without food, though it is not good to stress them like this. Most of the species which make good pets can not climb the sides of Glass Tanks or 'Small Pal Pens', in fact there is a general rule of thumb that says; "If a scorpion can climb the walls of its tank then its sting is very dangerous". All species of Scorpions possess a 'sting' in their tail and even in the mildest species this can cause considerable pain, while a number of species are potentially lethal. I do not recommend that anybody who is reading this in order to learn about keeping Scorpions keep any but the gentlest species, see list at the end of this document. Rainforest species need to be kept in a moist habitat at all times, though obviously desert species require a dryer environment, otherwise the basic requirements are the same. Keep them warm, though some species can tolerate cooler temperature they all do best at about 25C. The best method is to house them in a specially heated room, but for most people this is not possible, another alternative is to keep the cage in an airing cabinet. The most common method is to use a heatpad, these come in a variety of shapes and sizes and it is best to talk to your local seller as to what you need. But beware of over heating as scorpions like Cockroaches will burrow to escape excess heat, thus cooking themselves if the heat mat is the problem. A good general estimate is that the pad should rest comfortably under the cage/aquarium so that two thirds of the bottom of the cage is directly over the pad.This allows a gradient of heat to arise giving the cockroaches some choice over what temperature they experience. The use of a thermostat can make things easier but it isn't really necessary for most of the commonly kept species. All the species of Scorpion commonly kept in captivity are burrowing species, and though some will dig quite deep hole in the wild, 5 to 7 cms of a peat-like substrate will be sufficient in captivity. They will also require a few pieces of flatish wood and or stone to burrow under. Some species of Scorpion, such as Pandinus imperator (The Emperor) will eat almost anything that they can hold onto providing it is alive. Crickets are the usual food, though I find woodlice Porcellio scaber are also quite useful, obviously smaller specimens and species require smaller prey items. Some of the larger species have been known to take small mammals and reptiles as well when full grown. Though Scorpions can go for very long times without food it is best to offer them as much as they will eat. Some people find that Emperors will also eat green peanuts. Scorpions indulge a a courtship dance and they will need a certain amount flat space on the floor of the tank to dance on, this needs to be large enough to allow the two to move around on without to many obstacles interfering with their dance. The courtship dance, called the 'Promenade a deux', involves the pair gripping each other with their 'pedipalp chelae' (claws) and walking backward and forward in tandem until a suitable place is found for the male to deposit his spermatophore, this is a small bag of sperm which the female will pick up with her genital opening. After the female has collected the spermatophore and is therefore inseminated the pair part. Parthenogenesis is known from a few species of Scorpions, but not from those that are generally kept as pets. Pregnant females are obviously very fat looking and should be removed from the communal tank and placed in a separate to avoid her experiencing to much disturbance until the young are independent, disturbed females have been known to eat their own young. In the larger species it takes 6 to 9 months from insemination to birth of the young. All Scorpions are 'viviparous' (i.e. they give birth to live young). On being born the young escape from the birth sack (in those species which have one) and then climb up the females back legs onto her back. Early Life :- The young will stay on the females back for 1 to 2 weeks, after which they will undergo their 1st moult before leaving this parental protection. The use of tritiated water (a harmless form of isotopic labelling) has shown that the young do acquire some water from the mothers though it is not known how. Once down from the females back the young will be ready to fend for themselves and will need to be separated from the mother in most cases. In some species the female forgets her maternal instincts easily and will consider these free running young as potential prey. In other species, though not those normally kept as pets the females have been known to share their prey with their young. Therefore it is best to return the mother to her normal cage after the young have come down. Most deaths occur during these 1st two instars, and once into their 3rd instar they are fairly easy to rear . Most species have 5 instars as males and 6 as females. Growth rate is dependant on species, food intake and temperature; though it is not unusual for the large species to take over 3 years to reach maturity. The number of young is also very variable.

Pandinus imperator = The Emperor :- large rainforest species, easy to obtain

Pandinus cavimanus = Tanzanian Redclaw :- large rainforest species, easy to obtain

Both these species are relatively easy to rear and stings like a wasp.

Heterometrus spinifer = Thai Black :- larger rainforest species, hard to obtain

Heterometrus javanensis = Javanese Jungle Scorpion :- larger rainforest species, hard to obtain.

Both these species are very easy to rear in groups and are worth the cost if you can get them, stings like a wasp.

Hadrurus hirsutus and Hadrurus arizonensis, both known as Desert

Hairy Scorpion, desert species, not that hard to obtain, sting quite painful.

Bothriurus bonnariensis = Chilean Chocolate :- This species is more aggressive than the above and groups have been known to break down resulting in loss of Scorpions, its sting is more painful, more like a hornet than a wasp.

Scorpio maurus is another species sometimes found in pet shops, this is quite a dangerous species in its own rite, however misidentification by importers sometimes results in young Androctonus australis being sold under the name of Scorpio maurus.

Androctonus australis is a highly venomous species which is potentially lethal.

Vaejovis sp. Very painful

Centuroides sp. Potentially lethal.

Despite there potential for causing pain Scorpions are fun pets and I hope you enjoy keeping yours.

For more information on Scorpions see my Scorpionidae page.

Mabel Ellen Dove was a freedom fighter, political activist, first female member of the Legislative Assembly in the Gold Coast, journalist and prolific writer.

Ms Dove was born in Accra in 1905. Her parents were the famous lawyer Francis Dove of Freetown, Sierra Leone, who settled in Accra, and Madam Eva Buckman of Osu. Her father sent her and her sisters to school in Freetown. On completion of her elementary school, she went to the Annie Welsh Memorial Secondary School in Freetown. Like her other sisters, she was sent to England to do her post-secondary school course.

She did a secretarial course at Gregg Commercial College and qualified as a professional secretary at the age of 24. The graduates of that college and Pitman's College were very much in demand in England, the colonies, the Commonwealth and the USA. They manned the secretarial section of most departments, in the Home Civil Service, the colonial offices in the colonies and the Civil Service of the Commonwealth countries.

She was, therefore, expected to return to the Gold Coast and enter the civil service. But she went to Freetown, worked for some time for a commercial company, before returning to the Gold Coast and worked as a secretary with A.G. Leventis.

Her love for journalism took the better part of her and she started writing articles in the Times of West Africa. Her articles made her popular and showcased her literary talents, to the admiration of the paper's owner, Dr J.B. Danquah, and other scholars of the day.

Dr Danquah's admiration of her turned to love and the love turned into marriage. Ms Dove became Mrs Mabel Ellen Danquah. Unfortunately, in the course of time the marriage collapsed. The Times of West Africa also ceased to function. She then moved on to the African Morning Post.

Ms Dove confirmed her credentials as a firebrand and an anti-imperialist during the sedition trial of two of her colleagues on the African Morning Post, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Wallace Johnson, a founding member of the West African Youth League which was then at the forefront, calling for self-government now. The sedition case was over an article written by Wallace Johnson and published by Nnamdi Azikiwe in his newspaper, the African Morning Post, in 1936.

The article was, "Has an African a God?" That article sought to indict the European colonial masters for their iniquities in Africa under the guise of introducing Christianity into Africa, with the Bible in one hand and a sword in the other. After a protracted trial, Wallace Johnson and Nnamdi Azikiwe returned to their respective countries, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. By then, Ms Dove and the youth of the day had become more disenchanted with British rule.

When Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah took the centre stage of politics in the Gold Coast after he founded his Convention People's Party (CPP) in June 1949, Ms Dove became one of his early converts and journalists for his paper. She became a member of staff of The Accra Evening News. Like all the staff of The Accra Evening News, she used her journalistic prowess, will power and her newly-found bitter distaste for British rule in the country to pour venom on British imperialism and agitated for immediate self-government for the Gold Coast.

She supported the Positive Action of January 8, 1950 launched by Dr Nkrumah and the CPP. She whipped up the enthusiasm of the people in her articles in the Accra Evening News. She joined the propagandists in the media house and waged a persistent and unrelenting war on the British, demanding "Self-Government Now"!

She, however, escaped arrest, trial and imprisonment as happened to almost all her colleagues, including Dr Nkrumah. She, therefore, failed to win the coveted crown, "Prison Graduate".

As a full-fledged member of the CPP, Ms Dove went into full gear to organise the women to join the party in their numbers and fight shoulder to shoulder with the men to win independence for the Gold Coast.

During the general election of 1954, Ms Dove's hard work in organising the women for the CPP and her journalistic work at the Accra Evening News during the 1950s were rewarded when she was put up as a CPP candidate for Ga Rural.

She won the election hands down. Her election as the first female member of the Legislative Assembly was a remarkable achievement and a landmark in the political history of the Gold Coast. Her entry into the National Assembly coincided with the exit of her former husband, Dr Danquah, who, unfortunately, lost his seat in rural Akyem Abuakwa.

In the National Assembly, she became the spokeswoman on women and children's affair, as well as the issues of independence for the Gold Coast. Her debating skills and intelligent contributions to the discussions on bills on the floor of the House won the hearts of her male counterparts. They all missed her when she failed to make it to the House again in the 1956 general election.

Her early exit from the National Assembly in the 1956 general election was a big dent on her political career.

Male chauvinism, which had been the subject matter of some of her short stories, brought to an end her membership of the National Assembly when her constituency selected a man as its CPP candidate instead of her.

She, however, continued to work for the independence of the country within the party but outside the National Assembly. She felt contented with her brilliant political career when the Gold Coast gained independence on March 6, 1957. She had achieved her aim. The name Ghana came from the fertile brain of her former husband, Dr Danquah. From then on, she turned her attention to her career as a freelance journalist till the end of time.

At 79, she was called to her Maker. Thus ended the life of the first woman member of the Legislative Assembly in the Gold Coast-a political writer for newspapers, a freedom fighter, a writer of short stories, a courageous woman who always put the fortunes of her country first, even at the risk of her life, and who was prepared to stand up against injustice, oppression and suppression of the masses, even though she was a bourgeoisie.

i just see it on some websites :))