Editing Scorpion (section)

== Geographical distribution ==

Scorpions are found on all continents except [[Antarctica]]. The diversity of scorpions is greatest in subtropical areas; it decreases toward the poles and equator, though scorpions are found in the tropics. Scorpions did not occur naturally in [[Great Britain]] but were accidentally [[Introduced species|introduced]] by humans, and have now established a population.{{sfn|Polis|1990|p=249}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nurden |first=John |date=2021-07-05 |title=We track down the UK's biggest scorpion colony |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sheerness/news/we-track-down-the-uks-biggest-scorpion-colony-250024/ |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=Kent Online |language=en}}</ref> [[New Zealand]], and some of the islands in [[Oceania]], have in the past had small populations of introduced scorpions, but they were exterminated.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-06 |title=Critter of the Week The Pseudoscorpion! |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018639383/critter-of-the-week-the-pseudoscorpion |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref>{{sfn|Polis|1990|p=249}} Five colonies of ''[[Euscorpius flavicaudis]]'' have established themselves since the late 19th century in [[Sheerness]] in England at 51°N,<ref>{{cite journal |first=T. G. |last=Benton |year=1992 |title=The Ecology of the Scorpion ''Euscorpius flavicaudis'' in England |journal=[[Journal of Zoology]] |volume=226 |issue=3 |pages=351–368 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1992.tb07484.x}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Benton |first1=T. G. |title=The Life History of ''Euscorpius flavicaudis'' (Scorpiones, Chactidae) |journal=The Journal of Arachnology |date=1991 |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=105–110 |jstor=3705658 |url=http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v19_n2%20/JoA_v19_p105.pdf |access-date=16 January 2008 |archive-date=28 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228194248/http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v19_n2%20/JoA_v19_p105.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntnu.no/ub/scorpion-files/e_flavicaudis.php |title=''Euscorpius flavicaudis'' |access-date=13 June 2008 |first=Jan Ove |last=Rein |year=2000 |website=The Scorpion Files |publisher=[[Norwegian University of Science and Technology]] |archive-date=26 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426135809/https://www.ntnu.no/ub/scorpion-files/e_flavicaudis.php |url-status=live }}</ref> while ''[[Paruroctonus boreus]]'' lives as far north as [[Red Deer, Alberta]], at 52°N.<ref>{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=D. L. |url=http://people.uleth.ca/~dan.johnson/scorpions/northern_scorpion_dj.pdf |date=2004 |chapter=The Northern Scorpion, ''Paruroctonus boreus'', in Southern Alberta, 1983–2003 |title=Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands 10 |publisher=Biological Survey of Canada |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129125229/http://people.uleth.ca/~dan.johnson/scorpions/northern_scorpion_dj.pdf |archive-date=29 November 2015}}</ref> A few species are on the [[IUCN Red List]]; ''[[Afrolychas braueri]]'' is classed as [[critically endangered]] (2012), ''[[Isometrus deharvengi]]'' as [[endangered]] (2016) and ''[[Chiromachus ochropus]]'' as [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] (2014).<ref>{{cite iucn |author=Gerlach, J. |year=2022 |errata=2022 |title=''Afrolychas braueri'' |page=e.T21460801A211822304 |doi= |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=Deharveng, L. |author2=Bedos, A. |year=2016 |title=''Isometrus deharvengi'' |page=e.T89656504A89656508 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T89656504A89656508.en}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=Gerlach, J. |year=2014 |title=''Chiromachus ochropus'' |page=e.T196784A21568706 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T196784A21568706.en}}</ref>

Scorpions are [[xerocole]]s, meaning they primarily live in [[desert]]s, but they can be found in virtually every terrestrial [[habitat]] including high-elevation mountains, caves, and [[intertidal zone]]s. They are largely absent from [[boreal ecosystem]]s such as the [[tundra]], high-altitude [[taiga]], and mountain tops.{{sfn|Polis|1990|pp=251–253}}<ref name="Howard Edgecombe 2019"/> The highest altitude reached by a scorpion is {{convert|5500|m|ft|sp=us}} in the Andes, for ''[[Orobothriurus crassimanus]]''.{{sfn|Stockmann|Ythier|2010|p=151}}

As regards [[microhabitat]]s, scorpions may be ground-dwelling, [[arboreal|tree-loving]], rock-loving<!--there is no wikipage for rock-dwelling animals. the previous link was to a page on microbes dwelling in the [[Crust (geology)|crust]]--> or [[psammophile|sand-loving]]. Some species, such as ''[[Vaejovis janssi]]'', are versatile and are found in all habitats on [[Socorro Island]], [[Baja California]], while others such as ''[[Euscorpius carpathicus]]'', [[endemic]] to the [[littoral zone]] of rivers in Romania, occupy specialized niches.<ref name="Earthlife">{{cite web |last=Ramel |first=Gordon |title=The Earthlife Web: The Scorpions |publisher=The Earthlife Web |url=http://www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/scorpionidae.html |access-date=8 April 2010 |archive-date=9 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191009122613/https://www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/scorpionidae.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gherghel |first1=I. |last2=Sotek |first2=A. |last3=Papes |first3=M. |last4=Strugariu |first4=A. |last5=Fusu |first5=L. |year=2016 |title=Ecology and Biogeography of the Endemic Scorpion ''Euscorpius carpathicus'' (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae): a Multiscale Analysis |journal=Journal of Arachnology |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=88–91 |doi=10.1636/P14-22.1 |s2cid=87325752}}</ref>