Editing Scorpion (section)

==Relationship with humans==

{{further|Human uses of scorpions}}

===Stings===

{{main article|Scorpionism}}

[[File:Bbasgen-scorpion-front.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Arizona bark scorpion]], one of the few species whose venom is deadly to humans]]

Scorpion venom serves to kill or paralyze prey rapidly. The [[Scorpion sting|sting]]s of many species are uncomfortable, but only 25 species have venom that is deadly to humans. Those species belong to the family Buthidae, including ''[[Leiurus quinquestriatus]]'', ''Hottentotta'' spp., ''[[Centruroides]]'' spp., and ''[[Androctonus]]'' spp.<ref name="Earthlife"/> People with [[allergies]] are especially at risk;<ref name="niosh">{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/insects/scorpions.html |title=Insects and Scorpions |publisher=[[NIOSH]] |date=1 July 2016 |access-date=15 July 2016 |archive-date=29 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729121849/http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/insects/scorpions.html |url-status=live }}</ref> otherwise, [[first aid]] is [[Symptomatic treatment|symptomatic]], with [[Analgesic|analgesia]]. [[Hypertensive emergency|Cases of very high blood pressure]] are treated with medications that [[anxiolytic|relieve anxiety]] and [[Vasodilation|relax the blood vessels]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Buma |first1=Adriaan Hopperus |last2=Burris |first2=David G. |last3=Hawley |first3=Alan |last4=Ryan |first4=James M. |last5=Mahoney |first5=Peter F. |title=Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine: A Practical Guide |year=2009 |edition=2nd |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-84800-351-4 |chapter=Scorpion sting |page=518 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q-kk_TX9Ji0C&pg=PA518 |access-date=5 March 2016 |archive-date=25 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125152534/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q-kk_TX9Ji0C&pg=PA518 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=mayo>{{cite web |title=Diseases and Conditions – Scorpion Stings |url=http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scorpion-stings/basics/definition/con-20033894 |publisher=[[Mayo Clinic]] |access-date=3 July 2015 |archive-date=4 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004042604/http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scorpion-stings/basics/definition/con-20033894 |url-status=live }}</ref> Scorpion envenomation with high morbidity and mortality is usually due to either excessive [[Autonomic nervous system|autonomic activity]] and cardiovascular toxic effects, or neuromuscular toxic effects. [[Antivenom]] is the specific treatment for scorpion envenomation combined with supportive measures including vasodilators in patients with cardiovascular toxic effects, and [[benzodiazepine]]s when there is neuromuscular involvement. Although rare, severe [[hypersensitivity reaction]]s including [[anaphylaxis]] to scorpion antivenin are possible.<ref name="10.4103/0972-5229.164807">{{cite journal |last1=Bhoite |first1=R. R. |last2=Bhoite |first2=G. R. |last3=Bagdure |first3=D. N. |last4=Bawaskar |first4=H. S. |title=Anaphylaxis to Scorpion Antivenin and its Management Following Envenomation by Indian Red Scorpion, Mesobuthus tamulus |journal=[[Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine]] |volume=19 |issue=9 |pages=547–549 |year=2015 |doi=10.4103/0972-5229.164807 |pmc=4578200 |pmid=26430342 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Scorpion stings are a public health problem, particularly in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, North Africa, the Middle East and India. Around 1.5 million scorpion envenomations occur each year, with around 2,600 deaths.<ref name="Feola 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Feola |first1=A. |last2=Perrone |first2=M. A. |last3=Piscopo |first3=A. |last4=Casella |first4=F. |last5=Della Pietra |first5=B. |last6=Di Mizio |first6=G. |year=2020 |title=Autopsy Findings in Case of Fatal Scorpion Sting: A Systematic Review of the Literature |journal=Healthcare |volume=8 |issue=3 |page=325 |doi=10.3390/healthcare8030325|pmid=32899951 |pmc=7551928 |doi-access=free }}</ref>{{sfn|Stockmann|Ythier|2010|pp=163–164}}<ref name="Santos Silva 2016">{{cite journal |last1=Santos |first1=Maria S.V. |last2=Silva |first2=Cláudio G.L. |last3=Neto |first3=Basílio Silva |last4=Grangeiro Júnior |first4=Cícero R.P. |last5=Lopes |first5=Victor H.G. |last6=Teixeira Júnior |first6=Antônio G. |last7=Bezerra |first7=Deryk A. |last8=Luna |first8=João V.C.P. |last9=Cordeiro |first9=Josué B. |last10=Júnior |first10=Jucier Gonçalves |last11=Lima |first11=Marcos A.P. |title=Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects of Scorpionism in the World: A Systematic Review |journal=Wilderness & Environmental Medicine |volume=27 |issue=4 |year=2016 |pages=504–518 |issn=1080-6032 |doi=10.1016/j.wem.2016.08.003 |pmid=27912864 |url=https://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(16)30214-9/pdf<!--not redundant to DOI--> |doi-access=free |access-date=8 December 2020 |archive-date=31 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531031227/https://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032%2816%2930214-9/pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Mexico]] is one of the most affected countries, with the highest [[biodiversity]] of scorpions in the world, some 200,000 envenomations per year and at least 300 deaths<!--more likely 1000-->.<ref name="Dehesa-DávilaPossani1994">{{cite journal |last1=Dehesa-Dávila |first1=Manuel |last2=Possani |first2=Lourival D. |title=Scorpionism and Serotherapy in Mexico |journal=Toxicon |volume=32 |issue=9 |year=1994 |pages=1015–1018 |issn=0041-0101 |doi=10.1016/0041-0101(94)90383-2|pmid=7801335 |bibcode=1994Txcn...32.1015D }}</ref><ref name="Santibáñez-LópezFrancke2015">{{cite journal |last1=Santibáñez-López |first1=Carlos |last2=Francke |first2=Oscar |last3=Ureta |first3=Carolina |last4=Possani |first4=Lourival |title=Scorpions from Mexico: From Species Diversity to Venom Complexity |journal=Toxins |volume=8 |issue=1 |year=2015 |pages=2 |issn=2072-6651 |doi=10.3390/toxins8010002|pmid=26712787 |pmc=4728524 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Efforts are made to prevent envenomation and to control scorpion populations. Prevention encompasses personal activities such as checking shoes and clothes before putting them on, not walking in bare feet or sandals, and filling in holes and cracks where scorpions might nest. Street lighting reduces scorpion activity. Control may involve the use of [[insecticide]]s such as [[pyrethroids]], or gathering scorpions manually with the help of ultraviolet lights. Domestic predators of scorpions, such as chickens and turkeys, can help to reduce the risk to a household.<ref name="Feola 2020"/>{{sfn|Stockmann|Ythier|2010|pp=163–164}}

===Potential medical use===

[[File:Chlorotoxin.png|thumb|upright|The [[deathstalker]]'s powerful venom contains the 36-[[amino acid]] peptide [[chlorotoxin]] ([[ribbon diagram]] shown). This blocks small-conductance [[chloride channel]]s, immobilizing its prey.<ref name="Ahmadi Knerr Argemi Bordon p=118"/>]]

Scorpion venom is a mixture of neurotoxins; most of these are [[peptide]]s, chains of [[amino acid]]s.<ref name="Rodríguez 2013">{{cite book |last1=Rodríguez de la Vega |first1=Ricardo C. |last2=Vidal |first2=Nicolas |last3=Possani |first3=Lourival D. |chapter=Scorpion Peptides |editor-first=Abba J. |editor-last=Kastin |title=Handbook of Biologically Active Peptides |publisher=Academic Press |edition=2nd |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-12-385095-9 |pages=423–429 |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-385095-9.00059-2}}</ref> Many of them interfere with [[membrane channel]]s that [[Sodium channel|transport sodium]], [[Potassium channel|potassium]], [[calcium channel|calcium]], or [[Chloride channel|chloride]] ions. These channels are essential for [[nerve conduction]], [[muscle contraction]] and many other biological processes. Some of these molecules may be useful in medical research and might lead to the development of new disease treatments. Among their potential therapeutic uses are as analgesic, [[anti-cancer]], [[antibacterial]], [[antifungal]], [[antiviral]], [[antiparasitic]], [[bradykinin]]-potentiating, and [[immunosuppressive]] drugs. As of 2020, no scorpion toxin-based drug is for sale, though [[chlorotoxin]] is being trialled for use against [[glioma]], a brain cancer.<ref name="Ahmadi Knerr Argemi Bordon p=118">{{cite journal |last1=Ahmadi |first1=Shirin |last2=Knerr |first2=Julius M. |last3=Argemi |first3=Lídia |last4=Bordon |first4=Karla C. F. |last5=Pucca |first5=Manuela B. |last6=Cerni |first6=Felipe A. |last7=Arantes |first7=Eliane C. |last8=Çalışkan |first8=Figen |last9=Laustsen |first9=Andreas H. |title=Scorpion Venom: Detriments and Benefits |journal=Biomedicines |publisher=MDPI AG |volume=8 |issue=5 |date=12 May 2020 |issn=2227-9059 |doi=10.3390/biomedicines8050118 |pmid=32408604 |pmc=7277529 |page=118|doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Consumption===

Scorpions are eaten by people in West Africa, Myanmar{{sfn|Stockmann|Ythier|2010|p=147}} and East Asia. Fried scorpion is traditionally eaten in [[Shandong cuisine|Shandong]], China.<ref>{{cite web |first=Matthew |last=Forney |date=11 June 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/dining/11china.html |title=Scorpions for Breakfast and Snails for Dinner |website=The New York Times |access-date=23 February 2017 |archive-date=27 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127002256/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/dining/11china.html |url-status=live }}</ref> There, scorpions can be cooked and eaten in a variety of ways, including roasting, frying, grilling, raw, or alive. The stingers are typically not removed, since direct and sustained heat negates the harmful effects of the venom.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 May 2014 |last1=Albers |first1=Susan |title=How to Mindfully Eat a Scorpion |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-mindfully-eat-a-scorp_b_5321948 |access-date=29 July 2020 |website=HuffPost |archive-date=13 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813234226/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-mindfully-eat-a-scorp_b_5321948 |url-status=live }}</ref> In Thailand, scorpions are not eaten as often as other arthropods, such as grasshoppers, but they are sometimes fried as street food.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fernquest |first1=Jon |title=Fried Scorpion Anyone? |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/advanced/915769/fried-scorpion-anyone- |publisher=Bangkok Post |access-date=7 December 2020 |date=30 March 2016 |archive-date=31 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531031308/https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/advanced/915769/fried-scorpion-anyone- |url-status=live }}</ref> They are used in Vietnam to make [[snake wine]] (scorpion wine).<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Quality of Alcohol Products in Vietnam and Its Implications for Public Health |first1=Dirk W. |last1=Lachenmeier |first2=Pham Thi Hoang |last2=Anh |first3=Svetlana |last3=Popova |first4=Jürgen |last4=Rehm |date=11 August 2009 |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |volume=6 |issue=8 |pages=2090–2101 |doi=10.3390/ijerph6082090 |pmid=19742208 |pmc=2738875|doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Pets===

Scorpions are often kept as pets. They are relatively simple to keep, the main requirements being a secure enclosure such as a glass [[terrarium]] with a lockable lid and the appropriate temperature and humidity for the chosen species, which typically means installing a heating mat and spraying regularly with a little water. The substrate needs to resemble that of the species' natural environment, such as [[peat]] for forest species, or [[lateritic]] sand for burrowing desert species. Scorpions in the genera ''[[Pandinus]]'' and ''Heterometrus'' are docile enough to handle. A large ''Pandinus'' may consume up to three [[crickets]] each week. [[Cannibalism]] is more common in captivity than in the wild and can be minimized by providing many small shelters within the enclosure and ensuring there is plenty of prey.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scorpion Caresheet |url=https://www.amentsoc.org/insects/caresheets/scorpions.html |publisher=Amateur Entomologists' Society |access-date=19 November 2020 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101091350/https://www.amentsoc.org/insects/caresheets/scorpions.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Stockmann|Ythier|2010|pp=144, 173–177}} The pet trade has threatened wild populations of some scorpion species, particularly ''[[Androctonus australis]]'' and ''[[Pandinus imperator]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pryke |first=L. M. |year=2016 |title=Scorpion |publisher=Reaktion Books |pages=187–189 |isbn=978-1780236254}}</ref>

===Culture===

<gallery class="center" mode="nolines" widths="175px" heights="175px">
File:Egyptian - Figure of Isis-Serget as Scorpion - Walters 54546 - Side A (cropped).jpg|Late period bronze figure of Isis-[[Serket]]
Scorpion and snake fighting Anglo-Saxon c 1050.jpg|"Scorpion and snake fighting", [[Cotton Vitellius|''Anglo-Saxon Herbal'']], c. 1050
File:Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Scorpio.jpg|The constellation [[Scorpius]], depicted in ''[[Urania's Mirror]]'' as "Scorpio", London, c. 1825
File:Scorpion kilim motif.jpg|A [[scorpion motif]] (two types shown) was often woven into Turkish ''[[kilim]]'' flatweave carpets, for protection from their sting.<ref name="Erbek 1998"/>
</gallery>

The scorpion is a culturally significant animal, appearing as a [[Motif (visual arts)|motif]] in art, especially in [[Islamic art]] in the Middle East.<ref name="Frembgen">{{cite journal |first=Jürgen Wasim |last=Frembgen |year=2004 |title=The Scorpion in Muslim Folklore |journal=[[Asian Folklore Studies]] |volume=63 |issue=1 |pages=95–123 |url=http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/631 |access-date=12 August 2014 |archive-date=16 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316232038/http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/631 |url-status=live }}</ref>
A [[scorpion motif]] is often woven into Turkish [[kilim]] flatweave carpets, for protection from their sting.<ref name="Erbek 1998">{{cite book |last=Erbek |first=Güran |title=Kilim Catalogue No. 1 |publisher=May Selçuk A. S. |edition=1st |date=1998 |at="Motifs", before page 1}}</ref> The scorpion is perceived both as an embodiment of evil and as a protective force such as a [[dervish]]'s powers to combat evil.<ref name="Frembgen"/> In Muslim folklore, the scorpion portrays [[human sexuality]].<ref name="Frembgen"/> Scorpions are used in [[folk medicine]] in South Asia, especially in [[antidote]]s for scorpion stings.<ref name="Frembgen"/>

One of the earliest occurrences of the scorpion in culture is its inclusion, as ''[[Scorpio (astrology)|Scorpio]]'', in the 12 [[signs of the Zodiac]] by [[Babylonian astronomers]] during the [[Neo-Babylonian|Chaldean period]]. This was then taken up by western [[astrology]]; in astronomy the corresponding constellation is named [[Scorpius]].{{sfn|Polis|1990|p=462}}
In [[ancient Egypt]], the goddess [[Serket]], who protected the [[Pharaoh]], was often depicted as a scorpion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG55814 |title=Serqet |publisher=[[British Museum]] |access-date=10 December 2020 |archive-date=1 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201174344/https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG55814 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In [[ancient Greece]], a warrior's shield sometimes carried a scorpion device, as seen in [[red-figure pottery]] from the 5th century BC.<ref>{{cite web |last1=attrib. to "The Achilles Painter" |title=Pelike |work=The British Museum |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1856-1226-46 |publisher=[[British Museum]] |ref=1856,1226.46 |quote=in his left [hand] he carries a long spear and a shield with device in black silhouette of a scorpion to left. ... Made in: Attica, Greece ... Findspot: Nola, Italy |access-date=24 August 2020 |archive-date=3 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003103339/https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1856-1226-46 |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[Greek mythology]], [[Artemis]] or [[Gaia]] sent a giant scorpion to kill the hunter [[Orion (mythology)|Orion]], who had said he would kill all the world's animals. Orion and the scorpion both became constellations; as enemies they were placed on opposite sides of the world, so when one rises in the sky, the other sets.<ref name="Kerényi 1974">{{cite book |last1=Kerényi |first1=C. |author1-link=Károly Kerényi |title=The Gods of the Greens |date=1974 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |isbn=978-0-500-27048-6 |page=203 |chapter=Stories of Orion}}</ref>{{sfn|Stockmann|Ythier|2010|p=179}} Scorpions are mentioned in the [[Bible]] and the [[Talmud]] as symbols of danger and maliciousness.{{sfn|Stockmann|Ythier|2010|p=179}}

The Sanskrit medical encyclopedia, The ''[[Sushruta Samhita|Suśrutasaṃhita]]'', datable to before 500 CE, contains a detailed description of thirty types of scorpion, classified according to the levels of toxicity of their stings and their colours. Treatments for scorpion-sting are described.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Priya Vrat |url=http://n2t.net/ark:/13960/s2gpx8453k1 |title=Suśruta-Saṃhitā with English Translation of Text and Ḍalhaṇa's Commentary Along With Critical Notes |publisher=Chaukhambha Visvabharati |year=2001 |volume=3 |location=Varanasi |pages=87-91}}</ref>

The [[Animal tale|fable]] of ''[[The Scorpion and the Frog]]'' has been interpreted as showing that vicious people cannot resist hurting others, even when it is not in their interests.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Takeda, A. |url=https://publikationen.uni-tuebingen.de/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10900/47008/pdf/Arata_Takeda_Blumenreiche_Handelswege.pdf |title=Blumenreiche Handelswege: Ost-westliche Streifzüge auf den Spuren der Fabel ''Der Skorpion und der Frosch'' |trans-title=Flowery Trade Routes: East-Western forays into the footsteps of the fable ''The Scorpion and the Frog'' |journal=Deutsche Vierteljahrsschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Geistesgeschichte |language=de |year=2011 |volume=85 |issue=1 |pages=124–152 |doi=10.1007/BF03374756 |s2cid=170169337 |quotation=(German) Die Moral der Fabel besagt: Manche Menschen handeln von Natur aus mörderisch und selbst-mörderisch zugleich. (English) The moral of the fable says: Some people act naturally murderous and self-murderous at the same time. |access-date=9 December 2020 |archive-date=5 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105152526/https://publikationen.uni-tuebingen.de/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10900/47008/pdf/Arata_Takeda_Blumenreiche_Handelswege.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> More recently, the action in [[John Steinbeck]]'s 1947 novella ''[[The Pearl (novel)|The Pearl]]'' centers on a poor pearl fisherman's attempts to save his infant son from a scorpion sting, only to lose him to human violence.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Meyer |first1=Michael |title=Diamond in the Rough: Steinbeck's Multifaceted Pearl |journal=The Steinbeck Review |date=2005 |volume=2 |issue=2 (Fall 2005) |pages=42–56 |jstor=41581982}}</ref> Scorpions have equally appeared in western artforms including film and poetry: the [[surrealist]] [[filmmaker]] [[Luis Buñuel]] made symbolic use of scorpions in his 1930 classic ''[[L'Age d'or]]'' (''The Golden Age''),<ref>{{cite book |first=Allen S. |last=Weiss |chapter=Between the sign of the scorpion and the sign of the cross: ''L'Age d'or'' |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780262611213/page/159 159] |editor-first=Rudolf E. |editor-last=Kuenzli |year=1996 |title=Dada and Surrealist Film |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |isbn=978-0-262-61121-3 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZDl6HsqFJwAC&pg=PA159 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780262611213/page/159 }}</ref> while [[Stevie Smith]]'s last collection of poems was entitled ''Scorpion and other Poems''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/stevie-smith |title=Stevie Smith: Bibliography |website=Poetry Foundation |access-date=1 July 2019 |archive-date=1 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701135929/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/stevie-smith |url-status=live }}</ref> A variety of [[martial arts]] films and video games have been entitled ''Scorpion King''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/11333/operation-scorpio/ |title=Operation Scorpio |last=Wallis |first=J. Doyle |work=[[DVD Talk]] |year=2004 |access-date=19 June 2015 |archive-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620214728/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/11333/operation-scorpio/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Scorpion King |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scorpionking.htm |access-date=4 January 2010 |archive-date=16 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216212000/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=scorpionking.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Provo |first=Frank |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-scorpion-king-sword-of-osiris-review/1900-2861730/ |title=The Scorpion King: Sword of Osiris Review |publisher=GameSpot |date=2002 |access-date=24 June 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629174813/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-scorpion-king-sword-of-osiris-review/1900-2861730/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Mr-yoga-stretched-out-scorpion.jpg.png|thumb|[[Scorpion pose]] in [[yoga as exercise|yoga]] has one or both legs pointing forward over the head, like a scorpion's tail.<ref name="Iyengar 1991"/>]]
Since [[classical times]], the scorpion with its powerful stinger has been used to provide a name for weapons. In the [[Roman army]], the [[Scorpio (weapon)|scorpio]] was a torsion siege engine used to shoot a projectile.<ref name="Vitruvius">[[Vitruvius]], ''De Architectura'', X:10:1–6.</ref> The British Army's [[FV101 Scorpion]] was an armored reconnaissance vehicle or light [[tank]] in service from 1972 to 1994.<ref name="Jane's">{{cite web |publisher=[[Jane's Information Group]] |title=Scorpion |url=http://www.janes.com/defence/land_forces/supplement/lav/lav_scorpion.shtml |access-date=16 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221171530/https://www.janes.com/defence/land_forces/supplement/lav/lav_scorpion.shtml |archive-date=21 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A version of the [[Matilda II]] tank, fitted with a [[mine flail|flail]] to clear [[Land mine|mines]], was named the Matilda Scorpion.<ref name="Fletcher2017">{{cite book |last=Fletcher |first=David |title=British Battle Tanks: British-made Tanks of World War II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7EvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 |year=2017 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-4728-2003-7 |page=37 |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-date=31 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731185805/https://books.google.com/books?id=H7EvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Several<!--At least ten--> ships [[HMS Scorpion|of the Royal Navy]] and [[USS Scorpion|of the US Navy]] have been named ''Scorpion'' including [[HMS Scorpion (1803)|an 18-gun sloop]] in 1803,<ref>{{cite book |last=Winfield |first=Rif |title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates |publisher=Seaforth |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-86176-246-7 |page=291}}</ref> [[HMS Scorpion (1863)|a turret ship]] in 1863,<ref>{{cite book |last=Parkes |first=Oscar |title=British Battleships |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1990 |edition=reprint of the 1957 |isbn=1-55750-075-4 |pages=78–79}}</ref> [[USS Scorpion (PY-3)|a patrol yacht]] in 1898,<ref>{{cite journal |date=10 September 1896 |title=[untitled] |journal=Marine Review |volume=14 |issue=11 |location=Cleveland, Ohio |page=1}}</ref> [[HMS Scorpion (1910)|a destroyer]] in 1910,<ref>{{cite news |title=[untitled] |department=Naval and Military Intelligence |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=31 August 1910 |page=5 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64444910/scorpion-tbd/ |access-date=2 December 2020 |archive-date=31 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531031226/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64444910/scorpion-tbd/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[USS Scorpion (SSN-589)|a nuclear submarine]] in 1960.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csp.navy.mil/othboats/589.htm |title=USS Scorpion (SSN 589) May 27, 1968&nbsp;– 99 Men Lost |date=2007 |website=[[United States Navy]] |access-date=9 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312204810/http://www.csp.navy.mil/othboats/589.htm |archive-date=12 March 2008 }}</ref>

The scorpion has served as the name or symbol of products and brands including Italy's [[Abarth]] racing cars<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Abarth's Logo |url=http://www.museodelmarchioitaliano.com/route1/abarth.php |publisher=Museo del marchio italiano |access-date=16 November 2020 |quote=The company logo has been the scorpion since the very start; Carlo Abarth did not only want it as a reference to his zodiac sign, but also because it was an original and hard to imitate logo. At the beginning the scorpion was free from any contour and featured the typo "Abarth & Co.- Torino". In 1954 a shield was added, as symbol of victory and passion; |archive-date=3 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703181150/http://www.museodelmarchioitaliano.com/route1/abarth.php |url-status=live }}</ref> and a [[Montesa Honda|Montesa]] scrambler [[motorcycle]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Salvadori |first=Clement |title=Retrospective: 1974–1977 Montesa Cota 247-T |url=https://ridermagazine.com/2019/01/17/retrospective-1974-1977-montesa-cota-247-t/ |work=Rider Magazine |access-date=25 June 2020 |date=17 January 2019 |quote=Permanyer persisted, built larger engines, and in 1965 showed the 247cc engine (21 horsepower at 7,000 rpm) in a Scorpion motocrosser. |archive-date=27 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627063031/https://ridermagazine.com/2019/01/17/retrospective-1974-1977-montesa-cota-247-t/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
A hand- or forearm-balancing [[asana]] in modern [[yoga as exercise]] with the back arched and one or both legs pointing forward over the head in the manner of the scorpion's tail is called [[Scorpion pose]].<ref name="Budig 2012">{{cite journal |author=Anon |last2=Budig |first2=Kathryn |title=Kathryn Budig Challenge Pose: Scorpion in Forearm Balance |journal=[[Yoga Journal]] |date=1 October 2012 |url=https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/vrischika-in-pincha-mayurasana |access-date=25 June 2020 |archive-date=27 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627182355/https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/vrischika-in-pincha-mayurasana |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Iyengar 1991">{{cite book |last=Iyengar |first=B. K. S. |author-link=B. K. S. Iyengar |title=[[Light on Yoga]] |publisher=Thorsons |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-00-714516-4 |oclc=51315708 |pages=386–388}}</ref>

===Misconceptions===
It is a [[common misconception]] that a scorpion will sting itself to death if submerged in [[Alcohol (drug)|alcohol]]. Another claim, that eating a scorpion will cause [[hallucination]]s, is also entirely false.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://enviroliteracy.org/animals/what-happens-when-you-put-a-scorpion-in-alcohol | title=What happens when you put a scorpion in alcohol? | date=14 March 2025 }}</ref>