Scorpions Carry Heavy Metal Armor And Match The Element To The Role Of Their Weapon

Summary: Scorpions have been using heavy metals like zinc, iron, and manganese in their bodies for millions of years. They put these metals in their stingers and claws to make them stronger. Scientists found that scorpions don't just put metal everywhere; they match the metal to the job. For example, zinc is put at the very tip of the stinger to help it pierce through tough skin or armor, while the rest of the stinger uses manganese. Scorpions that rely more on grabbing prey with their claws put more zinc there to make them durable. A scorpion usually puts the most zinc into its favorite weapon—either the stinger or the claws—but not both.

For more details, see rssapp-iflscience-com at iflscience.com/scorpions-were-wearing-metal-armor-long-before-medieval-knights-and-match-the-element-to-their-weapons-purpose-83340 (opens in new tab)

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