North African Black Fat-tailed Scorpion is a relatively common breed with powerful toxicity. It is an extremely venomous neurotoxin and is known as the second most poisonous scorpion in the world. However, its danger is much greater than the world's first.
Chinese Name: 北非黑肥尾蝎
Latin Name: Androctonusmauritanicus
Kingdom: Animalia
Distribution: Morocco, North Africa
Reproductive Method: Ovoviviparous
Androctonus genus, commonly known as the Fat-tailed genus. I forgot where I saw the translation of scorpion to "Mang Scorpion". Foreign books commonly refer to it as the Fat-tailed scorpion, but not all species can be considered "fat". In any case, "fat tail" cannot accurately describe all species in this genus. Original text from Wikipedia:
An approximate translation of Androctonus is "man-killer" from the Greek words andras (άνδρας), meaning "man", and kteinein (κτείνειν), meaning "to kill". Crassicauda means "fat-tailed", from the Latin words crassus, meaning "thick" or "fat", and cauda, meaning "tail". Androctonus crassicauda is widespread throughout the Middle East, and its name means "fat-tailed man-killer". Similarly, the Latin word for South is australis, from which Androctonus australis, meaning "southern man-killer", is derived. In short, Androctonus should be translated as "man-killing scorpion".
The specific name of the North African Black Fat-tailed Scorpion is translated as Mauritania, which is a place name in North Africa. The accurate translation is Mauritania Man-Killing Scorpion.
Experienced individuals who love climbing pets are advised to keep them. They have an extremely aggressive temperament. The toxicity level is 4102, which can be potentially lethal. However, their danger is much greater than the world's first poisonous scorpion, the Israeli Gold Scorpion, because they not only have high toxicity but also have an astonishing amount of venom injection!
1. Black belly disease
Caused by scorpions eating unclean and smelly food or water. The abdomen of the diseased scorpion swells and turns black. The method of prevention and control is to isolate the diseased scorpion in time, remove the residual food, stop feeding water for a few days, pay attention to diet hygiene, and strengthen management.
2. Drying disease
Caused by lack of moisture in the scorpion nest, excessive dryness. The tail and posterior abdomen of the diseased scorpion turn yellow, gradually dry up and die. The method of prevention and control: timely supply water and maintain a certain humidity in the scorpion nest, and it can recover after a few days.
3. Withering disease
The symptoms of the disease are dry and dull, flattened anterior abdomen, inability to crawl, loss of balance, fear when encountering food, not eating for many days, and slowly dying. This disease can be seen all year round, mostly caused by long-term non-replacement of soil, excessively dry nest soil, or scorpions overeating after extreme hunger. For treatment, you can use 3 tablets of yeast, 1 tablet of terramycin, grind the powder and add water, hold the diseased scorpion's posterior abdomen and force it to drink the medicine water, 2 times a day, recover in 3 to 4 days.
4. Black mold disease
Also known as fungus disease or black spots. This disease often occurs in autumn due to excessive or prolonged humidity of the nest soil, leading to fungal infection. The main symptoms are the inability of the posterior abdomen to curl up, softening of the whole body, sluggish movement, loss of appetite, and small black spots on the anterior abdomen. The treatment method is to use 0.25 grams of aureomycin tablets, grind the powder and add 400 grams of water, hold the diseased scorpion's posterior abdomen and force it to drink the medicine water, 2 times a day, recover in 3 to 4 days. The original nest must be disinfected, and the soil should be changed.
5. Numbness of walking legs and blackening of foot hair disease
This disease is prone to occur when scorpions are bitten by ants. After the disease, the walking legs contract and cannot be stretched out, losing the ability to move and losing appetite. When encountering a situation where they want to run, they will turn into chaotic jumping and rolling movements, and the diseased legs will slowly turn black and dry to death. The prevention and control method is to strictly prohibit ants from entering the scorpion's nest, and immediately remove them if they are found.
6. Hemiplegia
The symptoms of this disease are walking sideways or walking with one side of the abdomen and the second pair of limbs, rolling and crawling, with no perception of the whole body, as if they are not afraid of everything and climbing out all day. The cause of the disease is excessive humidity in the nest room and excessive steam caused by hot weather, so it is necessary to pay attention to the humidity in the nest room.
7. Scorpion lice
When the scorpions are in disorder, yellow powdery mites appear on their bodies, lurking in the small cracks of their foot hair, chest and abdomen, legs, and tail. This kind of small mite is called scorpion lice. The cause of the disease is high humidity in the scorpion's nest. The method of prevention and control is to make the nest room a little drier, and at the same time pay attention to isolation and use diluted bleach powder for spraying and disinfection.
North African Black Fat-tailed Scorpion is native to the dry deserts of North Africa. It is 10 to 13 centimeters long as an adult and is fierce and nervous, easily affected by the external environment. When disturbed, its actions are faster and more ferocious than usual, and its venom is potent enough to be deadly. Therefore, it is strongly discouraged for beginners or young friends to keep them.
The size of the breeding box is generally more than four times the size of the scorpion. For the substrate, reptile sand or calcium sand can be used, with a thickness of at least 3 centimeters. If possible, it is best to provide a substrate of 5 to 10 centimeters or more, and set up a small flower dish or tree hole, and rocks, because the Black Fat-tailed Scorpion not only lives in burrows but also digs tunnels. In addition, a water dish is not necessary in the breeding box. Just spray some water into the box with a spray bottle occasionally.
When breeding desert species like the Black Fat-tailed Scorpion, they can easily adapt to large temperature changes. Therefore, their optimal temperature during the day is around 25-32°C, and the temperature should be maintained above 20°C at night. If they live for too long in temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius, it will not only affect their growth rate but also cause them to stop feeding or even die. In winter when the temperature is low, the keeper must provide insulation for them. In terms of humidity, it is best to maintain the humidity in the breeding box around 55% to 65%, and occasionally spray water on the substrate to keep it moist. However, a dry and warm place should be provided in the breeding box for them to settle.
Mainly provide live insects, such as crickets and mealworms, and even small reptiles or newborn mice can be fed to adult scorpions. The Black Fat-tailed Scorpion has a good appetite, but it is important to avoid overfeeding. Feeding once or twice a week is sufficient, and leftover residues should be cleaned up as soon as possible.
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