The Laos forest scorpion is a striking rainforest hunter, usually jet black and armed with strong pincers and a curved tail tipped with a venomous stinger. Despite their fierce appearance, their sting is not usually dangerous to humans, though it can feel a bit like a bee sting. These scorpions use their large pincers more than their stinger to catch and crush prey, which includes insects and other small creatures that wander too close.

By day they hide under logs, rocks, or leaf litter to stay cool and safe, and at night they come out to hunt. One of their most amazing features is that they glow a bright blue-green under ultraviolet light, thanks to special chemicals in their exoskeleton — a natural mystery scientists are still studying! Our Laos forest scorpion can be found in the Amazonica Glasshouse.

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