Include scorpions in global conservation plans

Abstract

Invertebrates are undergoing a rapid and mostly undocumented decline. Among the oldest terrestrial organisms, scorpions survived all five mass extinctions, but contemporary threats are testing their resilience. Most of the nearly 2900 scorpion species are ecologically specialized and geographically restricted, and some are confined to a single island, cave, or mountaintop. Anthropogenic pressures threaten many scorpion species, yet conservation efforts have largely overlooked them. Global protective measures are urgently needed to prevent the extinction of these “living fossils.”