Master Architects of the Desert: Scorpions

Scorpions may just be master architects. Scientists have found these creatures can create a platform in their burrows where they warm up before going on an evening hunt.

In order to examine how scorpions act in their environment, the researchers trapped wild large-clawed scorpions in Israel's Negev desert. Then, they filled their burrows with molten aluminum to make replica casts. Once these casts solidified, they were unearthed and then analyzed by a 3D laser scanner and software.

In the end, the researchers found that these burrows followed a very sophisticated design. In fact, the design began with a short, vertical entrance shaft that flattened out a few centimeters below the surface into a horizontal platform. The burrows then turned sharply downwards, descending further below ground to form a dead-end chamber. This cool, humid chamber provided a refugee for the scorpions to rest during the heat of the day.

"Very little is known about burrow environments," said Amanda Adams, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We plan to expand our studies to more scorpion species around the world to test how burrow structure is shaped to be part of the burro builder's extended physiology. Understanding the relationship between environmental conditions and burrow structures, meanwhile, could help to predict how burrow-builders will respond to climate change."

The findings were presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology on July 3.