Fascinating Emperor behaviour!

The babies have all had their molt I believe. I got a second enclosure set up with heat and substrate for mom which I plan to move her into in about a week but this behaviour is the coolest thing I've seen in awhile..

A few brave babies started to venture from her back. A few days ago I gave mom a huge super worm which she gobbled up quickly. I then put a bunch of small crickets in. The next day those few babies were hanging out near the opening of the burrow. I put another super worm in there and the mom grabbed it, killed it, and left it for the babies. Some came down and started eating.

Later some babies were Near the opening of the burrow with mom behind them again and a cricket went down in there. The babies quickly backed under mom, she grabbed the cricket and killed it leaving it for them.

Then today I put another super worm in there and mom grabbed it and started eating it for herself.

She clearly knows the difference between her babies that hang out in front of her and a cricket. I was fascinated that babies can run right under her claws and mouth but she ignores them and kills the cricket when it runs the same way.

They seem to be doing well. Most of the babies stay on her back and she rarely leaves the burrow so I can't see them all. The few that are coming out have already more than doubled in size and are changing color. They are now a yellowish color and you can easily see their little claws and tails now.

I'll try to get better pics. I cleaned the water spots off the glass only after I got these crummy pics.

http://184.72.239.143/mu/a6898f39-c072-bf7c.jpg

http://184.72.239.143/mu/a6898f39-c08f-9997.jpg

This little one is eating a cricket killed by mom. You can see her huge black claw behind it.

That is realy cool.
I have not had an emperor in years and never thought of breeding, but that is realy cool behaviour you are describing.

Cool,

I love hearing about stuff like this. :D


dr del

The female has been separated and the babies are turning black. The burrow branches off to the right and left so I can get an accurate count but so far there are 8 plump babies I've seen.

Here they are having super worm pieces. I cut them into baby size pieces and they come running!

http://tapa.tk/mu/43a34993-960f-44b2.jpg
http://tapa.tk/mu/43a34993-9620-f188.jpg
http://tapa.tk/mu/43a34993-9631-739e.jpg

its things like this that make me doubt how much we understand about animal intelligence. Basically, if you put a mirror in front of an animal, and it can tell that the reflection is of itself, then it's intelligent. It's called the self recognition test.
This doesn't take into consideration a creature like a scorpion. Unless I am mistaken, scorpions sensations are dominated by scent and tactile responses. The mother is clearly capable of differentiating between prey and offspring. We take for granted that anything not immediately useful to us isn't intelligent. Then we overlook their true potential.

I've wondered exactly how she could differentiate between prey insects and her own young. I believe it has something to do with the tiny hairs they have all over their body. By the time the babies have had their first molt and begin to come down from the mothers back, they all have visible hairs. I think because these hairs are incredibly sensitive, they all know that they are with their own kind even if the mother can't see the babies that are under her.

I've read and found out from other members that cannibalism of babies is rare among emperors compared to other species. So there is definitely something going on with the level of intelligent instinct that they have.

Love it! It's so fascinating watching the interactions. I keep cichlids and watching the parents guard the babies is amazing.

it's been hard for me to visit for these updates but temptation & curiosity clearly overtook fear today.
i think it's awesome that mom was so dedicated to her babes. was this her first bunch of babies? (sorry i dont know what a bunch of scorpion babies are called)
now...you DO wear some kind of protective gloves around the babies right? i mean i imagine mom "knows" you so she's less likely to whack you with that deadly tail of hers but babies can be a little stinger-happy, cant they?
whoo-wee, it amazes me how anyone can keep these creatures as pets, much less breed them, lol, i'd NEVER have the courage to do it.
awesome job though. :gj:

The babies are called scorplings. This species isn't inherently aggressive so no gloves are needed. They do not come toward you when you come near or put your hand in. They usually back up or go the other way.

Most adults that I've handled (of the emperors) have never even attempted to use their tail. This species is known for being docile. They wouldn't try to sting unless you were coming at it repeatedly, in a threatening way, and their claws are not fending you off. My big female actually lays her tail down to the side if she feels threatened. To protect it I suppose. She uses her claws for defence.

The babies are a bit more skittish and unless I'm dropping food in for them, they retreat in the burrow.

Yes this is her first "litter?" with me but I'm not sure of her age. She was an import so I doubt I'll breed her again but now I have the babies too :)

I'm not a big fan of Arachnids either but I do like emperor scorpions a lot more than spiders lol!

Hi,

Just to add I've actually been stung by an emperor and it hurt less than a bee sting. :gj:

The pincers hurt more if you let them get hold of you. :cool:


dr del

I've heard that about their stings too. Luckily I've never been stung and I don't want to but the claws are pretty powerful. I did have a male emperor years ago that was unusually feisty. He would assume defensive posture the moment he saw you. If you attempted to quickly tail him to pick him up, he spun around so fast that there was no way to get him out unless you used something to push him into a smaller container. He acted like a desert scorpion.

I'm not saying they never sting, just that it's uncommon. Of course, I never put myself in a position to be stung ;)

Thanks for sharing! I'm clueless when it comes to bugs but it is interesting none the less!

Regards,

B

Heh,

A much wiser course of action than mine. :D

I was showing him to a customer in a pet shop I used to work in and the utter berk poked the scorpion in the face ( Gord alone knows why he did it :rolleyes: ).

It, naturally, moved backwards quickly and would have fallen off my hand onto the floor. Normally not a problem ( we were kneeling on the floor ) but the shop had quite a few kids in it at the time and I didn't want any of them to freak out.

So I just had to cup my hands around it and clasp them to my chest - it took offense to such overfamiliarity. :rofl:

I also took over caring for a friends emperor scorpion and had her for quite a few years.

She was an utter angel. :wuv:

Never once did she try to pinch or sting and always seemed to take any handling in her stride. :)


dr del