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Animal profile

Tailless Whip Scorpion

ArachnidaCaves, tree buttresses, rock crevices and leaf litter in tropical and subtropical regions

Field profile

Tailless whip scorpions, order Amblypygi, are flat nocturnal arachnids with spined grasping pedipalps and a first pair of legs drawn out into long, thread-like feelers. They have no tail and no venom. About 200 species are known, most of them tropical and cave-dwelling.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-08-05

Tailless Whip Scorpion

Amblypygids navigate with legs turned into antennae

The first pair of legs in a tailless whip scorpion is not used for walking. Each is drawn into a whip up to several times body length, packed with chemical and mechanical sensors, and swept ahead of the animal to read a pitch-dark world.

Read with evidence →

Tailless Whip Scorpion | Daily Animal Facts