Why does scorpions glow in the dark

But Douglas Gaffin from the University of Oklahoma has a more intriguing idea. He thinks that scorpions glow to convert the dim UV light from the moon and the stars into the colour that they see best — blue-green.

This could explain why scorpion eyes are so exquisitely sensitive, to the point where they can detect the faint glow of starlight against the background of the night sky. They amplify those faint signals by turning their entire bodies into light collectors. Why bother? In the open, scorpions are vulnerable to rodents, owls and other predators.

Gaffin thinks that scorpions could easily find such hiding spots by sensing light with their entire bodies. Any object that casts shade upon their skin could reduce its glow and indicate a potential hiding place. In , Carl Kloock found evidence for this idea.

He overexposed scorpions to UV light to use up the fluorescing chemicals in their skin which break down as they glow. Kloock found that scorpions that could still glow stuck to a sheltered area, while the others spent more time in the open.

He kept them in enclosed chambers, shone different colours on them, and measured how often they tried to scuttle away. The scorpions behaved similarly under blue-green and UV light, even though their eyes are much more sensitive to the former.

After all, scorpions are active soon after sunset — the only time of night when UV light is more common in the sky than the colours we can see.

This might seem like a somewhat roundabout explanation. Scott A Stockwell, a scorpion expert, this means the matter that causes the shine is a result of the hardening process. Basically, the hyaline layers of the scorpion absorb the long wavelength of ultraviolet light and radiate it back in various wavelengths that can be seen at night as the green-blue gleam.

Some other scientists have figured out different reasons for their glow. Douglas Gaffin from the University of Oklahoma offers a fascinating theory. He is of the opinion that scorpions gleam to transform the soft light from the stars and moon into the color which they are able to see best- blue or green.

This can explain why the scorpion eye is so subtle that they can even detect the slightest starlight glow from the background of the night sky. The scorpions amplify those soft signals by converting their whole body into light collectors.

Gaffin further suggests that the reason for this could be to find hiding spots. By sensing light, the scorpions can easily find spots where they can hide. Anything that emits shade upon the scorpion skin could lower their glow and become a potential hiding spot. If this is possible, it signifies that a scorpion gleam can increase the surface area around its eye by a thousand times, which further indicates that the entire scorpion could be one whole eye. Though Gaffin has conducted some research that proves this idea, there is no solid evidence, and some more in-depth study needs to be done.

It is possible that these two compounds help these little creatures to absorb and store light for reflecting it back in the night. The next question is, why do the scorpions need to glow in the dark? What can be the reason for this lethal creature to glow? Follow Natalie Wolchover on Twitter nattyover.

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