Scorpions are truly fascinating creatures to study once you get over the initial fear of them. We often consider them as inhabitants of desert areas, but they have the ability to live almost anywhere they choose. You can find them in the Himalayas, British Columbia, and even in Brazilian forests. They haven’t been around for millions of years just because they are good looking!
The standard diet of scorpions is primarily insects, but they will adapt what they eat to what is available wherever they happen to be at the time. If no food is available, these creatures can slow their metabolism to a third of what is normal to survive.
It is believed that a scorpion can live on as little as one insect per year and almost no oxygen. Even in a slowed state, the scorpion is still capable of springing to life in a split second should food arrive on the scene. Few hibernating creatures can do this.
Scorpions can live in almost any environment, and researchers have proven their near invulnerability by freezing them overnight. Thawing them in the sun the next day, the critters have crawled away as if nothing happened. The only Achilles heel that they have is their need for soil. Like other burrowing creatures, they cannot live without Mother Earth.