New Species of Whip Scorpions Thrive Amid Bat Poop in Brazilian Caves

Two new species of scorpion that exist only in the caves of Brazil survive by preying on creatures that live in bat guano.

The cave-dwelling short-tailed whip scorpions, which are actually a type of arachnid, were discovered in the humid, limestone caves of northeastern Brazil and are some of the first whip scorpions discovered in South America; whip scorpions predominantly live in the Caribbean countries of Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola.  

Whip scorpions don't have the menacing stinger of traditional scorpions and are not poisonous; the creatures look more like ants than a common scorpion. Reddish-brown in color and similar in size to previously identified whip scorpions, identifying the two new species, Rowlandius ubajara and Rowlandius potiguara, demanded scientists show no modesty in their pursuit of better understanding the animal kingdom.

"You can only tell the species apart by looking at their genitals," said lead study author Adalberto Santos, an arachnologist from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, who excised the female scorpions' genitalia, immersed it in a solution to remove soft tissues and then mounted the dried reproductive organ on a slide to examine it under an electron microscope.

The whip scorpions were found deep within caves that are also home to bats. Springtails and other insects survive on the bat droppings, and the whip scorpions feast on the bugs. Though both new species of whip scorpion lack eyes, the researchers claim that is a common trait for whipscorpions, since the species does not rely heavily on visual information to survive.

While the new whip scorpions have only been documented in caves, the researchers have not ruled out the possibility that they might live out in the open as well.

"Only further studies outside these caves will confirm the extent to which these new species may have adapted to become exclusive cave dwellers," the researchers wrote in a statement. 

The research was published this week in the journal PLOS One.