- Eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always ending with a stinger
- The evolutionary history of scorpions goes back 435 million years
- They mainly live in deserts but have adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions, and can be found on all continents except Antarctica.
- Over 2,500 described species, with 22 extant (living) families recognized to date
- Fairly common in southern Arizona