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SCORPIONS. PRETTY TERRIFYING, RIGHT? HOW ABOUT WHEN THEY GLOW IN THE DARK. DEFINITELY
TERRIFYING.
HEY GUYS, IM ALEX FARNHAM AND THIS IS ANIMALIST NEWS FUN FACTS!
SO WE KNOW THAT SCORPIONS HAVE ARMOUR, POWERFUL PINCERS, AND POISONOUS STINGERS. BUT WHAT’S
UP WITH THEIR ABILITY TO GLOW UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT?
IT TURNS OUT THAT WHEN SCORPIONS ARE EXPOSED TO UV LIGHT,
THEY GLOW A BRIGHT GREENISH BLUE. BUT WHY? WELL, THERE ISN’T EXACTLY A CLEAR ANSWER.
SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE IT’S TO HELP SCORPIONS FIND EACH OTHER AT NIGHT, OTHERS THINK ITS
TO ATTRACT UNSUSPECTING PREY, AND SOME THINK THAT IT ACTUALLY SERVES NO PURPOSE AT ALL.
WELL THATS NOT EVEN HELPFUL….
ALRIGHT, THERE IS ACTUALLY ONE THEORY THAT THIS GLOWING ABILITY RELATES TO HOW SCORPIONS
RECOGNIZE UV LIGHT. SINCE SCORPIONS ARE NOCTURNAL, THEY AVOID BOTH SUNLIGHT AND UV LIGHT.
WHEN SHINING UV LIGHT ON THEM, THEY LOWER THEIR ACTIVITY LEVEL.
MOONLIGHT HAS LEVELS OF UV LIGHT IN IT, WHICH CAUSES SCORPIONS TO GLOW, AND EXPOSES THEM
TO POTENTIAL PREDATORS. IT IS BELIEVED THAT SCORPIONS CAN SENSE WHEN THEY’RE GLOWING,
THEREFORE KNOWING IT IS TOO BRIGHT TO GO OUT HUNTING.
OVERALL, SCIENTISTS ARE STILL WORKING TO FIGURE OUT THE EXACT REASON THESE CREEPY THINGS GET
ALL BRIGHT AND NEON UNDER UV LIGHT. BUT HEY, ITS PRETTY COOL TO LOOK AT RIGHT?
IF YOU COULD SEE ANY OTHER ANIMAL GLOW IN THE DARK, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THESE EPISODES OVER HERE, SUBSCRIBE UP HERE, AND ILL SEE YOU HARRY MAMMALS
LATER.