1. The prosoma includes the eyes, mouth, and the characteristic pair of claws called pedipalps, which have pinchers on the end called chelae. The pedipalps are not legs, rather they are additional appendages used to grab and hold prey, mates, or a rival scorpion during competition.
2. The mesosoma is comprised of seven segments and contains 4 pairs of clawed walking legs, which enable scorpions to climb nearly any surface very well. The segments of the mesosoma contain the reproductive, respiratory, and other organs.
3. The metasoma is the familiar tail of the scorpion, which is comprised of five additional segments and terminates in the telson. The telson contains a pair of venom glands and a hypodermic aculeus or venom-injecting barb (stinger) that allows the scorpion to sting prey or predators or humans.

Scorpions are highly effective predators because they possess a unique combination of characteristics that enable them to detect prey (eyes), move quickly and agilely over any terrain in pursuit of prey (4 pairs of clawed legs), and then catch and hold prey (pedipalps and chelae) while injecting venom into the prey (telson) to immobilize or kill it before using the pedipalps and chelae to bring the meal to its mouth.


orpions have an exoskeleton (external skeleton) made of chitin, a tough, protective, flexible molecule made of polysaccharide and nitrogen. The exoskeleton acts like our skeleton by providing support, muscle attachment sites, etc. but also aids scorpions by functioning in respiration and providing exceptional resistance to water loss scorpions, which is critical to the survival of these arachnids in arid environments they often inhabit.
Scorpions possess several key characteristics that separate these arachnids from spiders and also aid in identification of these animals (see the labeled images below for examples of each characteristic). For example:v
The body is divided into thruroides sculpturatus

Hadrurus arizonensis

Hadrurus spadix

Anuroctonus phaiodactylus

Diplocentrus peloncillensis

Diplocentrus spitzeri

Superstitionia donensis

Paruroctonus ammonastes

Paruroctonus baergi

Paruroctonus becki

Paruroctonus boreus

Paruroctonus borregoensis

Paruroctonus gracilior

Paruroctonus hirsutipes

Paruroctonus luteolus

Paruroctonus stahnkei

Paruroctonus utahensis

Paruroctonus xanthus

Smeringurus mesaensis

Smeringurus vachoni

Gertschius agilis

Wernerius mumai

Serradigitus joshuaensis

Serradigitus miscionei

Serradigitus wupatkiensis

Stahnkeus allredi

Stahnkeus subtilimanus

Hoffmannius coahuilae

Hoffmannius confusus

Hoffmannius spinigerus

Kochius crassimanus

Kochius hirsuticauda

Kochius russelli

Kochius sonorae

Pseudouroctonus apacheanus

Pseudouroctonus species

Uroctonites huachuca

Vaejovis cashi

Vaejovis crumpi

Vaejovis deboerae

Vaejovis electrum

Vaejovis feti

Vaejovis jonesi

Vaejovis lapidicola

Vaejovis paysonensis

Vaejovis tenuipalpus

Vaejovis vorhiesi