On a sand slope near the town of Tenextepec, Veracruz, I found a scorpion mother with babies on her back hiding under a stone. This was the first time Esme and I saw a scorpion with babies in the wild.
The scorpion is probably a Vaejovis species, and she is carrying around 25 tiny babies on her back. The scorpion mother gives live birth (vivipary). The babies climb on her back and stay with her for about 2 weeks before they wander away from her for good. While the babies are with the mother they also change their exoskeleton for the first time. I have seen mother scorpions eat the cast-off skin (exuvia) of her offspring.
