Talk:Giant Scorpion/Archive

Ideas for history of domestication / incorporation of Giant Scorpion milk into various Hellmouth products:

• The first Hellmouth resident to tame a wild Giant Scorpion was Protagonist Trout (a.k.a. "Hellmouth's Nature Boy")
• Protagonist Trout was also the first Hellmouth resident to look at the Giant Scorpion udder and say, "I think I'll drink whatever comes out of these things when I squeeze 'em"
• Trout, also famous as a huckster, made carbonated Giant Scorpion milk a staple drink in the Hellmouth
• Trout went on to create Blagonball Splorts Thirst Quenching Liquid, consisting of carbonated Giant Scorpion milk with Hellmouth sand added for spiciness (sold exclusively in the Hellmouth)
• Giant Scorpion milk is rumored to be an ingredient in the smoothies that the Sunbeams drink together before each game

Also here is a Hellmouth child pondering what Protagonist Trout was thinking:

Ch4zmOfHellmouth (talk) 20:09, 8 October 2020 (UTC)

Also we should add a "Domestication and Husbandry" section Ch4zmOfHellmouth (talk) 04:42, 9 October 2020 (UTC)

Preliminary Morphology/Physiology section below. Needs spruced up. I'd like to connect the Dinocaridida hypothesis person to an existing character and possibly break the text into subsections. MUSHSHAGANA (talk) 17:58, 8 October 2020 (UTC)

Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping pedipalps and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous sting. Before the opening of the Hellmouth, scorpions ranged in size from 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) in Microtityus minimus to 23 cm (9.1 in) in Heterometrus swammerdami.

Giant scorpions, first recognized in the Utah Hellmouth, are heavily divergent. As a result, there is a large contingent of scientists who suggest that Hadruridae must be a convergent evolution of an entirely different order, generally suggested to be outside of Animalia but occasionally left within Arthropoda. However, the Pancrustacea hypothesis has been fully rejected by resident scientists, and there are too many features lacking for the heavily disfavored Dinocaridida hypothesis to gain any traction. As such, only the "lost kingdom" and Scorpiones hypotheses have garnered interest to date.

The most characteristic element of Hadrurus spp. is the immense size. Specimens most commonly recorded are around 12m (39.37ft) in length, but at least one specimen over 20m (65.61ft) has been recorded, and far larger individuals are reported to have been seen. Other characteristic features include the flattened aspect of the tail, often held flat against the back, and the broad, flat "fins" extending laterally from the center of the dorsal ridge. The sole proponent of the Dinocaridida hypothesis uses these fins and the strange, comb-like morphology of the interior of the pedipalps to make their case for the relationship of Hadurus to dinocaridids, such as the well-known Anomalocaris.

The biochemistry and internal anatomy of Hadrurus is entirely unique. Based on what appears to be a combustion-based organ in the gut, the biological "fuel" of the Hadrurus spp. is a mixture of bitumen and radioactive materials, presumably due to underground nuclear testing in the area. Their mitochondria are heavily reduced, nearly vestigial, and make no ATP: indeed, the Hadrurus metabolism seems to be anaerobic, only needing air to initiate combustion of the heavy, oil-soaked radioactive gravel in the gut.

Another biohemical oddity is the production of "milk". The Hadrurus spp. "udder" is a panel under the abdomen of increased softness, covered in between 7 and 23 glands. These glands produce a frothy, yellow-white substance often compared to milk, though it appears to be byproducts of the combustion of the radioactive hydrocarbons in its internal furnace. Despite attempts to legislate the production and consumption of this "scorpion milk", it is favored by Hellmouth residents and enjoys a status equivalent to fine wine in Hellmouth culture.

Beyond the biochemical differences in anatomy, the neural ladder is broken in places and the brain has taken a complex geometrical shape, fueling pseudoscientific speculation that the animals are animated by unnatural intelligences from the void due to the occult geometry of their neurological systems.

The exterior shell of the giant scorpion is softer than most arthropods of any size, having a flexible, leathery feeling most similar to large caterpillars. In the creases of the joints and the abdominal panel which holds the so-called "udder", this softness increases, giving the overall feeling of human skin.

This soft integument is theorized to be the cause of the catastrophic damage most large Hadrurus specimens show: entire chunks of their body simply missing, cut in perfectly spherical or planar sections. The giant scorpion never seems to be physically harmed by this damage, which has allowed Hellmouth resident scientists to record much of the interior physiology without even capturing the animals.

Ecology

Here's a draft of an Ecology section! Might need a bit of wiki-fying Dasyuridae (talk) 21:45, 8 October 2020 (UTC)

The ecological role of H. moabenthoshades is relatively unknown, due to the difficulty of conducting research in the Hellmouth. The damage often observed on still-living specimens suggests that they may be prey for a large predator, although an animal fitting this description has never been observed. Sightings of scorpions in the Hellmouth appearing to grapple large, shadowy tentacles are disputed.

H. moabenthoshades are most likely secondary consumers, feeding on herbivorous insects and animals around the interior of the Hellmouth. Most of what is known of their feeding behaviour comes from detailed observations made of a specimen feeding on a horse, during the ill-fated Hellmouth interior expedition of 20XX. After the prey is paralyzed by the initial sting it is externally digested in the pre-oral cavity, using digestive juices excreted from the gut. Faint fluorescence was observed from the digestive fluid, as well as a strong smell of beans. As of yet, none of this fluid has been obtained to allow chemical analysis.

Many parasites have been collected from scorpions by ranchers, who will remove them while milking the scorpions. The taxonomy of these parasites is still undecided, as they do not appear to be in any known taxonomic domain. The parasite load of each scorpion is highly varied, ranging from none to enough to prevent access to the milk ducts.