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California Forest Scorpion (Uroctonus mordax)

Uroctonus mordax

The Uroctonus mordax, the 'California Forest Scorpion'. Classified in the Chactidae family, it is the only North American scorpion adapted to the cold and humid redwood and pine forests of the Pacific coast. Of modest size (1.5-2.3 inches), it exhibits a very dark mahogany or chocolate brown color. In stark contrast to classic US desert scorpions, the mordax requires a humid forest terrarium and, above all, tolerates (and requires) very low temperatures (no higher than 68-72°F, suffering lethal damage if exposed to heat). Harmless, stocky and, the real challenge of breeding is maintaining the delicate balance between high humidity and constant cool climate, preventing deadly mycosis attacks.

Taxonomy
Class:Arachnida
Order:Scorpiones
Family:Chactidae
Subfamily:Uroctoninae
Genus:Uroctonus
Species:Uroctonus mordax

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Environment

Terrestrial

Humidity

60 - 80 %

Day temperature

18 - 24 °C

Night temperature

15 - 18 °C

UVB

None

Species description

Geographic Origin and Habitat: No additional source-verified editorial notes are available about geographic origin and habitat for Uroctonus mordax. Consult this record's parameters and sources.
Taxonomy and Genetics: No additional source-verified editorial notes are available about taxonomy and genetics for Uroctonus mordax. Consult this record's parameters and sources.
Behaviour and Habits: No additional source-verified editorial notes are available about behaviour and habits for Uroctonus mordax. Consult this record's parameters and sources.
Morphology and Sexual Dimorphism: No additional source-verified editorial notes are available about morphology and sexual dimorphism for Uroctonus mordax. Consult this record's parameters and sources.

Care, breeding and tankmates

Terrarium Setup: Guidance about terrarium setup for Uroctonus mordax must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Lighting and Heating: Guidance about lighting and heating for Uroctonus mordax must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Humidity and Hydration: Guidance about humidity and hydration for Uroctonus mordax must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Feeding and Supplementation: Guidance about feeding and supplementation for Uroctonus mordax must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Compatibility and Coexistence: Guidance about compatibility and coexistence for Uroctonus mordax must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.
Health and Common Diseases: Guidance about health and common diseases for Uroctonus mordax must rely exclusively on the parameters and sources listed on this record.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

This species originates from: Nord America (Foreste costiere di sequoie e boschi di querce di California e Oregon).

Origin

North America

Terrestrial invertebrate profile

Diet
No verified data available
Life expectancy
No verified data available
Adult size
5 cm
The catalog's scalar value is 5 cm. The Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society — Uroctonus mordax source reports a maximum adult measurement of 5 cm for this species, recorded as total length (TL). The taxonomic record consulted is Uroctonus mordax. These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Lifestyle/Microhabitat
No verified data available
Activity cycle
No verified data available
Sociality
No verified data available
Reproduction
No verified data available
Venom level
No verified data available
Handling tolerance
No verified data available
Brumation
No verified data available
Molting
No verified data available

Image gallery

Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.

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Last updated: 08/10/2026