Exoskeleton

The body of the scorpion is covered in chitin (a protein) which acts as the scorpions armor; the armor defends the scorpion from predators and other bodily harm.

One interesting quality emperor scorpions possess is the ability to glow under ultraviolet light, such as a blacklight. Unfortunately, nobody knows exactly why scorpions glow, but there are a few theories that would explain this. One is that since a lot of insects see ultraviolet light, the scorpions may act as a bug trapper.  The insect would see the scorpion glowing, and head to it, only to get eaten; the scorpion would not even have to actively hunt. Another theory is that it may give the scorpion the ability to see ultraviolet wavelengths, allowing it to hide more easily during the daytime. If you were to loose a scorpion, all you would have to do is walk around with a black light and you will clearly see the scorpion glow.

Eyes

Scorpions have a lot of eyes, usually between 4 and 8. Surprisingly, however, scorpions have very poor vision. Their eyes are mainly used to distinguish lightness from darkness. They can’t really make out objects, and as a result they have to use other sensory organs to survive.  Scorpions have tons of sensitive microscopic hairs that cover their entire body.  These hairs allow the scorpion to get a sense of their environment and hunt. With these hairs, the scorpions can tell about how big a prey item is and where it is located. It does not really matter that scorpions have bad eyesight because they are nocturnal anyway, which means that they are active at night, and rest during the day.

Claws

The scorpions claws (“chelae”) are nothing more than amended pedipalps of other arachnids. Scorpions primarily use them for defense and for the capture of prey, which they crush and grind up.  Emperor scorpions have the largest claws of any scorpion. A general rule is that scorpions that have larger claws have mild venom, while scorpions with slender claws usually possess lethal venom.  The claws also have long sensory hairs that sense vibrations and air movement.

Legs

All species of scorpions each have 8 walking legs. Each of these legs consists of 8 segments: coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, basitarsus, telotarsus, and pretarsus. The scorpions legs work like a hydraulic machine. If the scorpion wants to move a leg, he has to adjust his blood pressure and let blood force the joints open. There are no extensor muscles to straighten the legs. 

Chelicerae

Instead of teeth, scorpions have what is known as chelicerae.  These are powerful muscled appendages that tear and grind up food. Scorpions can not internally digest food, and as a result they must digest their prey externally.  They do this by barfing digesting enzymes onto their prey. The liquified prey is then sucked into the scorpion. 

Sting

The sting of the scorpion is located at the top of the metasoma along with the venom glands.  When the scorpion stings, it functions a lot like a hypodermic needle. The venom flows through a hollow hole in the sting which is controlled by muscles.  The scorpion can control how much if any venom it injects; it is very possible for a scorpion to sting you without releasing any venom. 

Breathing

All species of scorpion do not have any trachea or lungs, but they do have 4 pairs of book lungs which are contained in a chamber called the atrium.

Blood/Heart

Scorpions have a open circulatory system and have no blood vessels, as a result the blood fills the whole body cavity. The heart simply pumps blood from one side of the scorpion to the other, carrying oxygen and nutrients to all of the cells.