Scorpions were among the first animals to adapt to life on land 420 million years ago. They are the oldest arachnids for which fossils are known. Scorpions are particularly recognisable by their spectacularly large, powerful pincers, which are enlarged appendages used to grasp and subdue prey. The famous stinging tail contains a pair of poison glands and is used to paralyse prey. Hated and admired since ancient times, they still strike fear into people though few are deadly. Around 2,000 species have been described in 13 families with species found on every continent except Antarctica, and not just under rocks in the desert!

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