Differences Between Alacrau And Scorpion
Ever wonder what the differences are between an alacrau and a scorpion? Are they really different animals? Generally speaking, no, as the words alacrau and scorpion refer to the same animal. Everything will depend on the region of the planet where you are.
It is in the countries of South America that the question of differentiation between these two types of animals really arises. Although physically the same, the fact that Latin American differentiate another group. But how? To understand this difference, we must resort to the etymology of the two words.
Origin of the names alacrau and scorpion
The term alacrau comes from the Arabic al’aqrá. These animals are characterized by having four pairs of legs, like spiders and mites, and therefore belong to the same class, that of arachnids.
In addition, your respiratory system is made up of a series of tracheas stored in a type of bag, and they also have sensory organs called combs, which are located in the ventral region.
Finally, what gives alacraus or scorpions their ultimate appearance are the tweezers or pedipalps and the curved sting at the tip of the tail. Thus, a scorpion has exactly the same physical characteristics as an alacrau, that is, it is the same animal. The word scorpio, however, comes from the Latin scorpio omis .
Where is each term used?
Generally, countries whose language or part of it comes from the Latin, the people often use the word scorpion to refer to these animals. This is the case, for example, in the United States.
The most used and widespread term in this country is scorpion, or scorpion, in English . However, in certain rural regions, the word alacrau is the most used. So, depending on what state you’re in, you’ll hear one word or another.
Something similar happens in Mexico. Mexicans living further south in the country use the word alacrau, especially to refer to species that are poisonous. This is another use given to the different words, as the association with venom seems to be more widespread in relation to alacrau than to scorpion.
On the other hand, in countries like Spain, the most used word is alacrau. This is because this country lived under Arab influence for several centuries and therefore many terms of this origin persist in the language.
However, in certain regions of this country, the word alacrau is almost obsolete and is hardly used. In fact, the word alacrau is used to refer to other animals, such as crickets, for example, which have nothing to do with scorpions.
Also, in certain parts of Spain, the word scorpion is much more widespread than alacrau, or the term scorpion is used to refer to larger species while alacrau is used for small species.
The Typhlochactidae family, the true alacraus
Within the family Typhlochactidae there is a genus described by Francke in 1982 called Alacran and which has three species: Alacran chamuco , Alacran tartarus and Alacran triquimera .
All these species inhabit Mexico and have cave habits, that is, they live in caves. Some of these arthropods are difficult to detect, as they can live up to 900 meters deep.
The fact that they live in this type of environment makes these alacraus have distinctive characteristics. For example, they do not have ocelli – simple eyes – and their joints, each segment of their limbs, are elongated.
In addition, they all have an earthy color, that is, similar to the soil in which they live. They are also relatively small in size, measuring between four and six inches in length. Although they have poison, they pose no danger to humans.
Alacrau and scorpion are the same animal
Although in some regions the word scorpion is used more while in others the word alacrau is used, the only reasons for this are culture and customs. So we can see differences in the use of the terms, but ultimately they both refer to the same animal.
Therefore, it is suggested that there are no physical differences or specific characteristics to differentiate one animal from another. Thus, anyone is free to use whatever word they prefer without making any mistakes.
