Archer Scorpion

An ambush predator

This article was written for Summer Camp 2024. Therefore it is unpolished and lacking formatting and information. Feel free to comment with any questions or requests for clarification.

Archer scorpions are scorpions native to the desert in the northern part of the continent of Oyekos. Pale brown in colour, they have eight legs and a pair of sharp snipping claws, as well as a long tail with with a venomous stinger. Whilst they can use the stinger on their tail to defend themselves, their main mode of protection is squirting their foul-smelling venom out of their tail. For creatures with very poor eyesight, their aim is deadly accurate.
During the day, they mainly remain in burrows under the hot sand, and come out during the night when the temperatures are cooler. Unlike other scorpions, which are predominately insectivores, the archer scorpion is an opportunistic predator, and has been observed snacking on small lizards and rodents. It is an ambush predator and lies in wait at the entrance of its burrow for something to wander by.
Female archers lay up to one hundred eggs a year.

Both the scorpions and their eggs are used in culinary applications. In adult scorpions, it is important to remove the venom sac from the tail before cooking or the meat will become tainted with the foul-tasting liquid.
The sting of the archer scorpion is not enough to kill the sapient species of Etrea, but the venom can cause pain and numbness for several days and, in extreme cases, necrosis of the stung area.