鑒于網(wǎng)上無法搜到真蝎屬（Euscorpius）的飼養(yǎng)資料（因?yàn)闆]有過流通），國內(nèi)相關(guān)論文也很少，我搬運(yùn)了此文作為知識儲備，共勉。

原作者：英國攝影師Jason Steel

原標(biāo)題：Yellow-Tailed Scorpions in the UK

It often comes as a surprise to most people to learn that we have had scorpions living and breeding here in the UK for over 150 years. The small Yellow-Tailed Scorpion, Euscorpius flavicaudis, has managed to set up at least one thriving colony, in an isolated area in SE England, despite the generally cool and mild climate here in the UK . These scorpions have been found on occasion at several coastal towns across the south of England over the years. The best known and most successful introduced population can still be found on the Isle of Sheppy, in Kent, around the dock-land town of Sheerness. This Yellow-Tailed Scorpion population was estimated in the late 1980's to consist of around 700 specimens. Due to the sedentary nature of these scorpions it has since been agreed by many arachnologists that this initial number was probably grossly underestimated. Many sources now claim that the Yellow-Tailed Scorpion colony at Sheerness could be as large as 10,000 or even 15,000 specimens. I can't find any information on how this 10,000 - 15.000 figure was calculated though and after studying and photographing the scorpions at Sheerness for 15 years I personally believe that the colony is far smaller than these claimed figures.

大多數(shù)人聽到有蝎子在我們英國繁衍生息了150多年這件事時(shí)，他們往往會(huì)很驚訝。Euscorpius flavicaudis，這種小小的黃尾巴蝎在英格蘭東南部的一個(gè)島上已經(jīng)成功建立了至少一個(gè)繁榮的群落，盡管英國的氣候往往是涼爽而溫和的。近年來，英格蘭南部的幾個(gè)沿海城鎮(zhèn)人們偶爾會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)這種蝎子。最著名、最成功的引入種群仍然可以在肯特郡謝皮島碼頭鎮(zhèn)的希爾內(nèi)斯附近找到。20世紀(jì)80年代，這種蝎子種群中的個(gè)體數(shù)量大概有700只。由于這種蝎子天性不好動(dòng)，許多蛛形綱專家都認(rèn)為這個(gè)數(shù)字可能被嚴(yán)重低估了?，F(xiàn)在許多消息稱，它們在希爾內(nèi)斯的種群個(gè)體數(shù)量可能多達(dá)10000-150000只。我找不到任何關(guān)于這個(gè)數(shù)字是如何得出來的信息，在我拍攝并研究希爾內(nèi)斯的這種蝎子長達(dá)15年后，我個(gè)人認(rèn)為它的種群個(gè)體數(shù)量遠(yuǎn)小于這些公布的數(shù)字。

This population was the first ever scorpion colony recorded in the UK. Old records are a little sketchy but it's believed that these scorpions first arrived at Sheerness Docks during the 1860's. The Natural History Museum has a preserved Yellow-Tailed Scorpion specimen in its collection, which was collected from within the grounds of the Sheerness Docks in 1870, and was identified at the time by J. J. Walker. This is the earliest confirmed and identified specimen so we known that these scorpions were already established at the docks before 1870. The Yellow Tailed Scorpion has been living in the south-facing walls, rock crevices, abandoned buildings and railway sleepers of these docks for over 150 years now and still thrives there today in 2022. In fact these little arachnid stowaways have been established in Britain for longer than the Grey squirrel, which didn't arrive in the UK until it was imported and deliberately introduced in 1890, during the Victorian era.

這是英國有史以來第一個(gè)有記錄的蝎子種群。過去的記錄有點(diǎn)粗略，但人們相信這些蝎子是在19世紀(jì)60年代第一次到達(dá)希爾內(nèi)斯碼頭的。自然歷史博物館收藏了一只保存完好的黃尾蝎子標(biāo)本，這只標(biāo)本是1870年在謝爾內(nèi)斯碼頭收集，并由J.J.Walker鑒定。這是黃尾蝎最早被確認(rèn)和鑒定的樣本，所以我們可以知道，這些蝎子在1870年以前就已經(jīng)在希爾內(nèi)斯碼頭建立群落了。150年來，在碼頭向南的墻壁里，巖石裂縫里，廢棄建筑里、鐵路枕木里，黃尾蝎一直在這些地方生存，直到2022年的今天它們?nèi)栽谶@些地方茁壯成長。事實(shí)上，這些小型“偷渡者”在英國的生存時(shí)間比1890年維多利亞時(shí)代才引進(jìn)英國的灰松鼠還要長。

Although no one knows for sure it is widely accepted that these small scorpions originally found there way into the UK accidentally as stowaways amid the regular shipments of Italian masonry, that were brought to the docks aboard sailing ships during the reign of Edward VII. Euscorpius flavicaudis are sometimes referred to by their synonym, Tetratrichobothrius flavicaudis. Due to the success of this scorpion colony it's likely that it became established as a result of multiple additions from accidental stowaways over the years.

雖然沒有人確切知道，但人們普遍認(rèn)為這些小蝎子最初是在愛德華七世統(tǒng)治時(shí)期，在意大利磚石的定期航運(yùn)中作為偷渡者，偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)進(jìn)入英國的。Euscorpius flavicaudis有時(shí)被稱為它們的同義詞Tetratrichobothrius flavicaudis。這個(gè)蝎子入侵的成功，它很可能是由于多年來偶然“偷渡者”多次累加導(dǎo)致的結(jié)果。

Although the majority of the Sheerness scorpions live within the relative safety of the private docks some specimens can be found on the south-facing wall that surrounds the docks, which is accessible to the public. The Yellow-Tailed Scorpion is native to much of Western and Southern Europe, including France, Italy and Spain as well as Northwest Africa, where it is usually recorded at altitudes below 500m. These tiny scorpions prefer dry and humid habitats, including forests, fields and parks, but are often also found in or around human habitations as well. Like other species of scorpion the Yellow-Tailed Scorpion's body is covered in tiny hairs that are able to detect the slightest movements or vibrations from its surroundings.

盡管在希爾內(nèi)斯私人碼頭生活相對安全，但有一些個(gè)體也會(huì)在碼頭周圍朝南的墻體上被大眾找到。黃尾蝎原產(chǎn)于西歐和南歐的大部分地區(qū)，包括法國、意大利、西班牙以及非洲西北部，在那些地區(qū)，它通常被記錄于海拔500米以下的地方。這些小蝎子喜歡干燥潮濕（譯注：這里我也沒有理解dry and humid究竟是干旱還是潮濕，暫理解為基質(zhì)干燥空氣潮濕，這樣也符合沿海墻壁的特點(diǎn)）的棲息地，包括森林、田野和公園，但也經(jīng)常在人類居住地附近發(fā)現(xiàn)。像其他種蝎子一樣，黃尾蝎的身體上覆蓋著細(xì)微的毛，能夠探測到周圍最輕微的運(yùn)動(dòng)或振動(dòng)。

The Yellow-Tailed Scorpions are the most northerly species of scorpion in the world and it is their tolerance to cold temperatures and their ability to adapt that has allowed them to thrive in the UK's cooler climate at Sheerness. During the colder months these scorpions remain inactive deep within the dock wall or under rocks and railway sleepers etc. Tim Benton's studies in the late 1980's measured the internal temperature of the Old Dockyard Wall during the winter. It was found that the temperature in the middle of the Great Dockyard Wall would only drop to around 3 degrees during the coldest spells of winter. The Yellow-Tailed Scorpion can survive temperatures at least as low as -7 degrees, so the UK's winters are not a problem for this hardy species at Sheerness.

黃尾蝎是世界上最靠北分布的蝎子物種，它們對低溫的耐受性和適應(yīng)能力讓他們能在英國希爾內(nèi)斯更冷的氣候條件下茁壯成長。在寒季，這種蝎子在碼頭墻壁、巖石下和枕木下方等深處不活動(dòng)。20世紀(jì)80年代末，Tim Benton的一項(xiàng)研究測量了冬天時(shí)舊碼頭墻壁的內(nèi)部溫度。人們發(fā)現(xiàn)，在冬天最冷的時(shí)候，舊碼頭墻壁中間的內(nèi)部溫度也只會(huì)降到3℃左右。最低到-7℃黃尾蝎都能存活，所以對這種能吃苦的物種來說，英國的冬天不算什么。

No one knows exactly why the Yellow-Tailed Scorpions have managed to successfully breed and thrive at the Sheerness Docks when all other introduced populations of these scorpions have failed within a few years at other sites across the UK. It could be significant factor that the Isle of Sheppey has a relatively low mean annual rainfall of just 18 inches, compared to that of 24 inches for London and 60 inches for Devon and Cornwall? The average rainfall recorded at coastal sites across the UK is typically twice that of the average rainfall at Sheerness.?

為什么在希爾內(nèi)斯碼頭黃尾蝎能成功繁殖并茁壯成長，而在英國其他地方這種蝎子的種群引進(jìn)都失敗了，沒有人確切知道這一點(diǎn)。與倫敦的24英寸和德文郡、康沃爾的60英寸相比，謝皮島年平均降雨量相對較低，只有18英寸，這可能是一個(gè)重要的因素。英國沿海地區(qū)所記錄的降雨量通常是希爾內(nèi)斯平均降雨量的兩倍。

Sheerness Port was originally built in 1665 as a Royal Navy dockyard and fort, and was rebuilt with the Great Dockyard Wall in 1823. The Great Dockyard Wall, along with the now ruined army barracks and various other old buildings within the docks, are all constructed using the same brickwork, that appears to be particularly favourable to the Yellow-Tailed Scorpions. This is likely to be due to the soft mortar between the bricks, that allows the scorpions to tunnel into the walls, as well as the 66cm depth of the wall that allows the scorpions to escape freezing temperatures during the winter months. Within the grounds of Sheerness Docks are gardens, allotments and areas of rough ground, which favour all manor of insect life, providing an ample and constant supply of insect prey for the Yellow-Tailed Scorpions. In addition, areas of the north face of the Great Dockyard Wall have ivy climbing the wall and overhanging trees which also provide a rich environment for insect prey for the scorpions, which don't need to feed very often.

希爾內(nèi)斯港口最初建于1665年，是皇家海軍的船塢和堡壘，1823年重建了港口城墻。港口城墻和現(xiàn)在被毀的軍營及其他碼頭內(nèi)的各種老建筑都是用同樣的磚石建造的，這對黃尾蝎似乎特別有利。這可能是由于磚之間的軟灰泥，使蝎子可以鉆到墻壁里，同時(shí)墻壁有66厘米厚，使蝎子可以在冬季的幾個(gè)月避免達(dá)到冰點(diǎn)。在希爾內(nèi)斯碼頭內(nèi)是花園、分發(fā)場和粗糙的地面，這是一座對各種昆蟲都宜居的莊園。，它為黃尾蝎提供了充足持續(xù)的昆蟲獵物。此外，圍墻北側(cè)的爬山虎和懸垂的樹木也為蝎子提供了豐富的捕食昆蟲的環(huán)境，而這個(gè)環(huán)境不需要經(jīng)常養(yǎng)護(hù)。

One reason why these scorpions haven't spread much beyond the confinement of the docks is the remote location of the Sheerness Docks. With the river on one side of the docks and man-made defence moats and busy roads surrounding the docks they are stranded on an island within an island at Sheerness Docks. Although escapes must occur they don't happen in large enough numbers to establish any viable new colonies of scorpions away from the docks.

這種蝎子沒有擴(kuò)散到碼頭以外的地方的原因之一是因?yàn)橄杻?nèi)斯碼頭地處偏僻。由于河流在碼頭一側(cè)，人造護(hù)城河和船流一直在碼頭環(huán)繞，它們就被困在希爾內(nèi)斯碼頭——一個(gè)島中島。盡管“逃脫者”必然存在，但他們數(shù)量太少，不足以在遠(yuǎn)離碼頭任何地方建立起任何可占據(jù)的種群棲息地。

Most residents, that I have spoken to, in the area of the Sheerness Docks, not only accept the scorpions as part of the local fauna but they are actually proud of their novel arachnid neighbours and the claim to fame that they bring to the town. Local schools have even organised evening trips to visit the Great Dockyard Wall and guide the children as they look for the scorpions at night. Jenny Hurkett, the founder of the Blue Town Heritage Centre at the Criterion Theatre, Sheerness, has two preserved specimens on display for anyone interested in seeing what they look like.

在希爾內(nèi)斯碼頭地區(qū)，大多數(shù)和我交談過的居民不僅認(rèn)為這種蝎子是當(dāng)?shù)貏?dòng)物的一部分，他們事實(shí)上還為這種新鮮的蛛形綱鄰居及它們?yōu)樾℃?zhèn)帶來的名聲感到驕傲。當(dāng)?shù)氐膶W(xué)校甚至組織了碼頭圍墻的夜游，在晚上引導(dǎo)孩子們尋找蝎子。Jenny Hurkett，希爾內(nèi)斯Criterion Theatre藍(lán)色小鎮(zhèn)遺產(chǎn)中心的創(chuàng)始人，展出了兩份保存完好的標(biāo)本，所有有興趣的人都可以看。

The Yellow-Tailed Scorpion is a fairly small scorpion species reaching a maximum size of around 20-25mm body-length and 35-45mm including tail and pincers. These small scorpions have large pincers for their size, and a short, thin, stinging tail. This tail can only deliver a very mild sting to a human. However, the Yellow-Tailed Scorpion is usually very reluctant to use its sting though, even when hunting these scorpions rely mainly on their powerful pincers to subdue their prey. The effect of the sting to humans is a mere pin-prick to most people and is said to be less painful than the sting of a bee or wasp. The sting usually poses no threat to healthy adult humans at all, although medical advice should be sought if you feel unwell following a sting in case of an allergic reaction.?

黃尾蝎是一種相當(dāng)小的蝎子物種，最大體長約20-25毫米，包括尾巴和鉗子在內(nèi)的最大體長約35-45毫米。這些小蝎子的鉗子相對于它們的體型來說很大，還有一條短而細(xì)的帶刺尾巴。這種尾巴只能給人類帶來非常輕微的刺痛。然而，黃尾蝎子通常很不情愿使用它的刺，即使在捕獵時(shí)，這些蝎子主要依靠它們有力的鉗子來制服它們的獵物。這種刺痛對人類的影響對多數(shù)人來說只是針刺，據(jù)說比蜜蜂或黃蜂的刺痛要小。這種螫傷通常對健康的成年人完全沒有威脅，但如果你在螫傷后感到不適，為防止過敏反應(yīng)，還是應(yīng)尋求醫(yī)療建議。

In southern Europe, where these scorpions are native, there are recent records though of more severe reactions to the sting of the Yellow-Tailed Scorpion by children. One such incident was in the South of France back in 2019, where a 10 year old boy was stung on the hand whilst handling a Yellow-Tailed Scorpion. His symptoms included localised pain, sweating, nausea, abdominal cramps, decreasing muscular strength and an inability to raise his arm above shoulder level. These symptoms past after 72 hours with no long-term effects. It is likely that this extreme reaction is partly due to the child's sensitivity to the venom and the time of year the incident occurred. The venom of the scorpion would have been of a much higher concentration than usual as the sting occurred in winter when the scorpion would have previously been inactive for some time.

在這些蝎子的原產(chǎn)地南歐，最近有記錄顯示兒童對黃尾蝎子的螫傷反應(yīng)更嚴(yán)重。2019年在法國南部發(fā)生了一起這樣的事件，一名10歲男孩在手持一只黃尾蝎子時(shí)被蜇傷了手。他的癥狀包括局部疼痛、出汗、惡心、腹部痙攣、肌肉力量下降和無法舉手過肩。這些癥狀在72小時(shí)后消失，沒有長期影響。這種極端的反應(yīng)可能部分是由于孩子對毒液的敏感，以及事件在一年中發(fā)生的時(shí)間點(diǎn)——因?yàn)轶l(fā)生在冬天，那時(shí)蝎子已經(jīng)有一段時(shí)間不活動(dòng)了，蝎子的毒液濃度會(huì)比平時(shí)高得多。 （鏈接略）

I have handled several specimens of these scorpions myself with my bare hands and have never experienced any signs of aggressive or defensive behaviour from any of them. However this doesn't mean that I would encourage anyone else to ever handle wild scorpions.

我親手拿過幾只這種蝎子個(gè)體，從來沒有經(jīng)歷過它們有任何攻擊性或防御性行為的跡象。然而，這并不意味著我會(huì)鼓勵(lì)其他人去讓野生蝎子上手。

These scorpions hide themselves away for most of their lives becoming active only to feed and breed, usually on warm evenings. Despite their preference for warm weather these hardy scorpions have even been recorded at Sheerness in every month of the year except January. I have personally seen them at Sheerness in both November and February, in small numbers, when the evening temperatures were around 7-9 degrees. At this time of year the scorpions were largely inactive, and were found hiding at the outer edge of the cracks in the mortar of the Great Dockyard Wall. Yellow-Tailed Scorpions feed on any insects or spiders that come within range, with a preference for woodlice. Because of their incredibly slow metabolism it is thought that they may only need to feed as few as 4-5 times a year during the summer months, and can survive for long periods between meals. Whilst largely a nocturnal ambush predator Yellow-Tailed Scorpions will leave their hiding place and actively search for prey on occasion.

這些蝎子一生的大部分時(shí)間都躲起來，只有在溫暖的夜晚才會(huì)活躍起來覓食和繁殖。盡管它們喜歡溫暖的天氣，甚至在一年中除了一月之外的每個(gè)月這些頑強(qiáng)的蝎子都在希爾內(nèi)斯有記錄。我個(gè)人在11月和2月都在希爾內(nèi)斯看到過它們，數(shù)量很少，當(dāng)時(shí)晚上的溫度在7-9℃左右。在每年的這個(gè)時(shí)候，蝎子大多不活動(dòng)，他們被發(fā)現(xiàn)藏在碼頭圍墻灰泥裂縫的外緣。黃尾蝎子以領(lǐng)地內(nèi)的任何昆蟲或蜘蛛為食，偏愛木虱。由于它們的新陳代謝極慢，人們認(rèn)為它們可能只需要在夏季的幾個(gè)月里每年進(jìn)食4-5次，并且可以在兩次進(jìn)食之間存活很長一段時(shí)間。雖然黃尾蝎子主要是夜間埋伏的捕食者，但它們偶爾會(huì)離開藏身之處積極尋找獵物。

(中間大段關(guān)于蝎類共性特點(diǎn)的描述留在下篇翻譯，此處暫略)

Yellow-Tailed Scorpions are not generally a communal species and cannibalism does occur if keeping more than one of these scorpions in the same enclosure, just as it does in the wild. Following mating, which usually occurs in June, July and August, the long gestation period of the female scorpion is between 10 and 14 months, depending on the temperature and the quantity and quality of food available. The female then gives birth to the fertilised eggs when they are ready to hatch. Once laid the eggs hatch immediately and the number of tiny scorplings can range from 4-30 individuals, that are born soft and white. The female carries these tiny scorpions on her back until they are too large to all fit on her back. This can vary from one to eight weeks. Excellent photos of a female Euscorpius sp. carrying her newly hatched scorplings can be seen here:?

黃尾蝎通常不群居，如果在同一個(gè)環(huán)境中飼養(yǎng)一只以上的黃尾蝎，就會(huì)發(fā)生同類相食的情況，就像在野外一樣。交配通常發(fā)生在6月、7月和8月，雌性蝎子的漫長懷孕期在10到14個(gè)月之間，這取決于溫度和能抓到食物的數(shù)量和質(zhì)量。當(dāng)雌性準(zhǔn)備孵化時(shí)，她們會(huì)產(chǎn)下受精卵。一旦產(chǎn)下卵立即孵化，（譯注：此處是指產(chǎn)下蝎苗便立即上背）蝎苗的數(shù)量可以在4-30只之間，出生時(shí)是白色且很軟。雌性蜘蛛把這些小蝎子背在背上，直到它們大到無法全部背在背上。這段時(shí)間從1周到8周不等。在這里可以看到一只雌性真蝎帶著她剛孵出的小樹苗的優(yōu)秀照片（鏈接略）

As with many species of spider it is not unusual for a mature male Yellow-Tailed Scorpion to stand guard over a viable female mate until she is mature and ready to to copulate. At this stage the male will hold onto the tips of the female's pincers and the two scorpions will begin to circle each other in the "dance of the scorpions". The male will then deposit his sperm-sac on the ground and drag the female until she is directly over it. The female will then collect the sperm package through her sexual opening. Due to the long gestation period female Yellow-Tailed Scorpions will only mate once per year, and not every year. Males may mate with several different partners in a single year, but females will always choose the larger and more dominant males to mate with.

和許多種類的蜘蛛一樣，一只性成熟的雄性黃尾蝎會(huì)守護(hù)一個(gè)可以追求的雌性伴侶，直到她性成熟并準(zhǔn)備交配。在這個(gè)階段，雄蝎子會(huì)抓住雌蝎子的鉗子尖，兩只蝎子會(huì)開始在“蝎子之舞”中互相繞圈。然后，雄性會(huì)把他的精莢放在地上，然后拖著雌性，直到她在正上面。然后雌性會(huì)通過她的生殖口收集精囊。由于懷孕期長，雌性黃尾蝎子每年只交配一次，且不是每年都交配。雄性在一年中可能會(huì)與幾個(gè)不同的伴侶交配，但雌性總是選擇更大、更有優(yōu)勢的雄性交配。

Scorpions have a very basic digestive system. All prey is caught using the powerful pincers and then brought to the jaws where it is effectively chopped into very fine particles and reduced to liquid form that can be sucked up into the mouth of the scorpion. As with snakes the venom of the scorpion not only stuns or kills its prey but may also aid with the digestion process too. Prey items are usually eaten head first and one meal generally takes several hours to consume.

時(shí)間有限，本文暫翻譯到這。對于飼養(yǎng)來說，上述材料足以提供飼養(yǎng)思路。后文作者寫了希爾內(nèi)斯碼頭未來的影響、英國其他地區(qū)所謂的黃尾蝎目擊事件，內(nèi)容十分豐富有趣，我也再次為國外蝎子愛好者的探究精神所折服，日后有空再搬運(yùn)。