Re: What are scorpions doing when they 'dance'?

Hi Lauren,

Scorpions, like many other arachnids, mate not by copulation but instead by a method known as indirect sperm transfer. Rather than transferring sperm directly to the female, the male deposits a packet of sperm, called a spermatophore, on the ground. The female then picks up this sperm and transfers it to her own genital aperture. In many arachnids the male just deposits his spermatophore and leaves, hoping that a female will come along later and discover it. Scorpions, however, will only deposit a spermatophore when a female is present and will attempt to direct her towards it. It's this process of directing the female towards the spermatophore that's known as dancing. During this dance the male tries to keep the spermatophore between himself and the female as he pulls the her towards him. When the the female's genital aperture is directly over the spermatophore the male presses her down on to it so that sperm is forced into her genital opening.

For more information on indirect sperm transfer check out Proctor, H. C. 1998. Indirect sperm transfer in arthropods: behavioral and evolutionary trends. Annual Review of Entomology 43: 153-174.

For more information on scorpions in general visit the scorpion pages on the arachnology website.

Regards,

Rob Cruickshank