Why Scorpions Glow in the Dark

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  • čas přidán 29. 04. 2024
  • Under UV light, almost all species of scorpions glow a bright green color, but why? Thanks to Capital One Shopping for sponsoring a portion of this video! Avoid Paying Full Price. Get Capital One Shopping for free using this link: capitaloneshopping.com/verita...
    A huge thanks to Prof. Carl Kloock for the interview and taking us scorpion hunting at the Panorama Vista Preserve. panoramavista.org/
    ▀▀▀
    References:
    Zwicky, K. T. (1968). A light response in the tail of Urodacus, a scorpion. Life Sciences, 7(6), 257-262. --ve42.co/Zwicky1968
    Kloock, C. T. (2005). Aerial insects avoid fluorescing scorpions. Euscorpius, 2005(21), 1-7. -- ve42.co/Kloock2005
    Gaffin, D. D., Bumm, L. A., Taylor, M. S., Popokina, N. V., & Mann, S. (2012). Scorpion fluorescence and reaction to light. Animal Behaviour, 83(2), 429-436. -- ve42.co/Gaffin2012
    Kloock, C. T., Kubli, A., & Reynolds, R. (2010). Ultraviolet light detection: a function of scorpion fluorescence. The Journal of Arachnology, 38(3), 441-445. -- ve42.co/Kloock2012
    Kloock, C. T. (2009). Reducing scorpion fluorescence via prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light. The Journal of Arachnology, 37(3), 368-370. -- ve42.co/Kloock2009
    ▀▀▀
    Written by Derek Muller, Emily Zhang, Petr Lebedev
    Animation by Ivy Tello
    Filmed by Derek Muller and Emily Zhang
    Edited by Brian Kim
    Additional video supplied by Getty Images
    Music from Epidemic Sound epidemicsound.com
    And "Sneaky Snitch" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
    Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
    creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
    Produced by Derek Muller, Emily Zhang and Petr Lebedev

Komentáře • 3,7K

  • @Kimera_Alternate_Realities
    @Kimera_Alternate_Realities Před 2 lety +4403

    "Should I go out tonight, or should I stay in my hole?"
    I can relate, little scorpion, I can relate.

    • @Quickened1
      @Quickened1 Před 2 lety +77

      Should I stay or should I go, now..🎼🎵🎶

    • @Deepak-gt9wd
      @Deepak-gt9wd Před 2 lety +62

      I can't relate, l just always stay in my hole

    • @StanHowse
      @StanHowse Před 2 lety +4

      Thanks, Chimera.

    • @pvic6959
      @pvic6959 Před 2 lety +22

      i was goign to say the same! I wasnt expecting to empathize with a scorpion this morning LOL

    • @abhinavsk8292
      @abhinavsk8292 Před 2 lety +16

      I always stay in the wrong hole

  • @fireaza
    @fireaza Před 2 lety +6694

    Alternate hypothesis: scorpions are really into the rave scene.

  • @TicTacYo100
    @TicTacYo100 Před 2 lety +644

    "Even platypuses glow under ultra fluorescent light" Of course they do: what exactly was evolution thinking when they created the platypus?

    • @Delightfully_Bitchy
      @Delightfully_Bitchy Před 2 lety +47

      Most people like a drink or two, sometime.

    • @manoahvanderwolf3259
      @manoahvanderwolf3259 Před 2 lety +5

      evolution CREATED the platypus? really dude..............

    • @TicTacYo100
      @TicTacYo100 Před 2 lety +75

      @@Delightfully_Bitchy Yes, Mr Evolution. He must have been drunk or something.

    • @somedudeok1451
      @somedudeok1451 Před 2 lety +6

      Evolution probably didn't think anything. Because evolution doesn't think. Period.

    • @mateowang6570
      @mateowang6570 Před 2 lety +54

      @@somedudeok1451 LOL you may be taking this a bit too seriously... pretty sure it’s just a joke

  • @Chris.Davies
    @Chris.Davies Před 2 lety +329

    I love the fact scorpions can incorporate iron and nickel into the tips of claws and tail.
    THAT IS SO METAL!
    (sorry, I absolutely had to)

    • @Hassan-to3bs
      @Hassan-to3bs Před 2 lety +17

      Lol as if Scorpions weren't already metal enough.

    • @Attaxalotl
      @Attaxalotl Před 2 lety +2

      That is literally metal.

    • @Jimberley123
      @Jimberley123 Před 2 lety +9

      If i had a Nickel for every time i'd heard this one

    • @eddymison3527
      @eddymison3527 Před 2 lety +1

      Not completely Blackout tho, haha

    • @rejectionmagnnet2112
      @rejectionmagnnet2112 Před rokem

      metal until they sting you. these guys were using bark scorpions, which are the most painful and sometimes deadly if you are allergic.

  • @nothosaur
    @nothosaur Před 2 lety +2340

    Hypothesis: Veritasium holds a camera to interview and has someone filming him holding a camera to interview because he has no tripod

    • @Aphrodite10
      @Aphrodite10 Před 2 lety +28

      Great hypothesis!

    • @cognitiveconsonancescience2937
      @cognitiveconsonancescience2937 Před 2 lety +183

      Clearly, a scorpion would make a great cameraman, 8 legs > 3 legs.

    • @Aphrodite10
      @Aphrodite10 Před 2 lety +4

      @@cognitiveconsonancescience2937 haha

    • @jaimepabjr.8171
      @jaimepabjr.8171 Před 2 lety +19

      @@cognitiveconsonancescience2937 and 8 eyes

    • @recurvestickerdragon
      @recurvestickerdragon Před 2 lety +52

      @@cognitiveconsonancescience2937
      And a long flexible camera mount on the tail~
      Which can apparently also detect light, so they can help set your exposure and stuff

  • @7rich79
    @7rich79 Před 2 lety +1941

    "Should I go out tonight or should I stay in my hole" - my spirit animal the scorpion, apparently

    • @indridcold8433
      @indridcold8433 Před 2 lety +27

      I go out every night. I work the third shift. I work nightly from 21:00 to 06:00, four nights a week. The three nights a week I do not work, I still live at night. My circadian cycle is inverted because I have operated at night for decades. I always go out at night. I go weeks without seeing daylight.

    • @JesseLack
      @JesseLack Před 2 lety +11

      @@indridcold8433 neat

    • @protercool8474
      @protercool8474 Před 2 lety +56

      I too weigh the likelihood of being seen vs how hungry I am

    • @flamedash2837
      @flamedash2837 Před 2 lety +4

      @@indridcold8433 frr? Yo could you talk in detail about it maybe? Veritasium should do a video on _you_ man

    • @yash1152
      @yash1152 Před 2 lety +1

      9:23

  • @thelostronin
    @thelostronin Před 2 lety +45

    Was shocked to find fluorescing scorpions in central NC - they were so small, about the size of a pencil tip, but clearly had green-glowing tails even under natural light. I haven't seen them since I got chickens 😂

    • @KAZVorpal
      @KAZVorpal Před 2 lety +2

      Scorpions here in Georgia get about an inch and a half long. I suspect that the ones you were seeing were nymphs. Babies of the same species.

  • @Beakerzor
    @Beakerzor Před 2 lety +21

    6:25 I just love how the phanerozoic eon only goes back 1/9th of the history of the earth, it's like abundant life just began a moment ago

  • @besmart
    @besmart Před 2 lety +4751

    Fun fact: Sea scorpions (extinct) were also fluorescent. Horseshoe crabs fluoresce too, and are the sister group to all arachnids. Horseshoe crabs rely heavily on moonlight to time their mating migration. So if the common ancestor of scorpions and horseshoe crabs also fluoresced, it’s a good bit of support for the moonlight detection hypothesis!
    Or it’s a spandrel. One or the other.

    • @name_69420
      @name_69420 Před 2 lety +54

      Ooo... Thank you for the info sir!

    • @reynal_omnicide9217
      @reynal_omnicide9217 Před 2 lety +49

      Horshoe crabs are my favorite animals, I've never seen anyone showing they fluoresce and I live in the west so I can't test :(

    • @__mads__
      @__mads__ Před 2 lety +15

      Stay in your lane, brainiac! 🙃

    • @syzygy2897
      @syzygy2897 Před 2 lety +18

      SEA SCORPION?!!?!?!?

    • @Oiirnplays
      @Oiirnplays Před 2 lety +10

      you should make a vid on it

  • @dembro27
    @dembro27 Před 2 lety +1174

    "If there's light at night, it ain't alright."
    - Scorpion, probably

    • @8kigana
      @8kigana Před 2 lety +8

      hahaha, so true, scorpions like black widows are 100% nocturnal when it comes to hunting.

    • @balasubramaniana9541
      @balasubramaniana9541 Před 2 lety +2

      If UV light is invisible to the human eye then how it appears violet colour in the video?

    • @itismethatguy
      @itismethatguy Před 2 lety

      @@8kigana aren’t black widows spiders?

    • @michahermann7869
      @michahermann7869 Před 2 lety +21

      @@balasubramaniana9541 Most UV emitters also emit a little bit of violet light. However there are UV flashlights that have special filters to filter the remaining visible light out

    • @skywriter4308
      @skywriter4308 Před 2 lety +3

      @@itismethatguy They are, but both spiders and scorpions are arachnids.

  • @Genomsnittet
    @Genomsnittet Před rokem +3

    This professor is badass. Admits to being wrong, that it happens oftens, and also not "professional" in his demeanour. He's joking and being nerdy. Love him

  • @TheBleachedazn
    @TheBleachedazn Před 2 lety +4

    Hello Derek! This was an awesome video. I loved seeing the professor's enthusiasm and appreciated you letting him speak about his working hypotheses and experiments while giving background information on the science in the video. As someone in research myself, this style of exposition did not go unappreciated and I'd love to see even more videos like this covering a whole range of scientific/mathematical phenomena!

  • @darthinsidious838
    @darthinsidious838 Před 2 lety +755

    "Platypus also fluoresce" Why am I not surprised? Nothing about Platypus surprises me anymore

    • @logicbuilder1204
      @logicbuilder1204 Před 2 lety +57

      They are also venomous so that something.

    • @abhinavsk8292
      @abhinavsk8292 Před 2 lety +30

      Will u be surprised if scientist decide platypus shouldn't be a mammal

    • @jacobshirley3457
      @jacobshirley3457 Před 2 lety +29

      @@abhinavsk8292 If it wasn't a mammal, what would it be? A fish? A reptile? An amphibian? A bird?

    • @logicbuilder1204
      @logicbuilder1204 Před 2 lety +24

      @@abhinavsk8292 Can't really do that considering animal groups are based on there genes not there characteristics.

    • @Aphrodite10
      @Aphrodite10 Před 2 lety +2

      Yeah

  • @nicholeritchey1383
    @nicholeritchey1383 Před 2 lety +598

    Earlier this summer, I went on a short night hike with some rangers in Copper Breaks State Park, Texas. We took UV flashlights and our group counted about 70 scorpions along the way. Until that night, I had no idea that they glowed!

    • @ccbgaming6994
      @ccbgaming6994 Před 2 lety +3

      Wow!

    • @Q_QQ_Q
      @Q_QQ_Q Před 2 lety

      Why did you take UV light for ?

    • @zhinkunakur4751
      @zhinkunakur4751 Před 2 lety

      @@Q_QQ_Q these guys sus

    • @JasonJonesoriginal
      @JasonJonesoriginal Před 2 lety +3

      another fun thing for night hikes is to just shine a regular flashlight. All the spider eyes will reflect back at you. Very shocking how many there are

    • @Expllosaoriginal
      @Expllosaoriginal Před 2 lety

      @@Q_QQ_Q To make sure the scene is properly bleached, obviously

  • @Alraithification
    @Alraithification Před rokem +1

    i really love him telling us about the hypothesis that proved out to be wrong and the thought process behind it

  • @csbalachandran
    @csbalachandran Před 2 lety +1

    *Always* fascinating, and humorous to *just* the right extent! This is one of my favorite channels! Good work, team! And, thanks!!

  • @nealdiamond2778
    @nealdiamond2778 Před 2 lety +556

    What i found with my own scorpions is that after they molt they are not florescent under black light untill their exoskeleton hardens again.

    • @azureNotsure
      @azureNotsure Před 2 lety +20

      Oh that’s very interesting1

    • @Mark-Wilson
      @Mark-Wilson Před 2 lety +14

      yeah it hink thers something inside the exoskeleton maybe chitin itself idk that makes it flourece

    • @renderproductions1032
      @renderproductions1032 Před 2 lety +1

      Wow

    • @chriskennedy2846
      @chriskennedy2846 Před 2 lety +11

      I just found this online: ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: March 04, 2020, Scorpions make a fluorescent compound that could help protect them from parasites.

    • @adamk5487
      @adamk5487 Před 2 lety +2

      With the science in this video, we won't know if the scorpions know that too or not. They wouldn't likely catch a non fluorescent scorpion.

  • @alexlandherr
    @alexlandherr Před 2 lety +661

    The one creature that have successfully fused rave culture with metal…

  • @sntslilhlpr6601
    @sntslilhlpr6601 Před 2 lety +106

    You probably won't see this, but congrats on the 10mil. It's been a long road and you have been consistent throughout when it comes to making quality content that educates and doesn't mislead people. You are the biggest channel I subscribe to by quite a ways, and it's not because you are trendy or topical or clickbaity (lol). It's because you are awesome and you're genuinely doing the same kind've thing that other legendary educators did when I was a kid. Congratulations, and good luck.

    • @zl9764
      @zl9764 Před 2 lety +2

      yes yes well said. Congrats! 👏

    • @SlayerofFiction
      @SlayerofFiction Před 2 lety +2

      Exactly, I love his videos and how he has returned to just being him over his attempt at Glamour style via "TheBeast"

    • @davidfryer9359
      @davidfryer9359 Před 2 lety

      I know these guys appreciate when we notice the numbers. I knew i wasnt the only one who noticed these thing. Congratulations is very much in order!
      I might add this channel has 1.25 Billion views. Unbelievable!

  • @TinoPetersson
    @TinoPetersson Před 2 lety +2

    I can't believe that I just found this channel. It is just amazing.
    Thank you for this excellent content!

  • @arkon332
    @arkon332 Před 2 lety +455

    Hypothesis 1:Relic Trait
    Hypothesis 2: Attracts Prey
    Hypothesis 3: Communication
    Hypothesis 4: Camouflage
    Hypothesis 5:Sunscreen
    Hypothesis 6:Detect light

    • @civilianofmars6151
      @civilianofmars6151 Před 2 lety +6

      Thanks !!!

    • @oldvlognewtricks
      @oldvlognewtricks Před 2 lety +20

      At 05:40 it clearly shows ‘Camoflauge’

    • @JULEMANDEN99
      @JULEMANDEN99 Před 2 lety +5

      Hypothesis 7 deteriant so bigger creatures wont ho for them
      Hypothesis 8 a water atractor? like salt

    • @SF-li9kh
      @SF-li9kh Před 2 lety +8

      The video ended too soon. So what is the most plausible one then ? Which does the scientific community lean towards ?

    • @narsil1984
      @narsil1984 Před 2 lety +20

      @@SF-li9kh I got the feeling that this particular researcher leans towards 6 and that he is an expert on scorpions. It also seems likely that there arent that many scorpion specialists that focus on why they emit UV light for there to really be a point in group chats. Seems like a bit of a niche question.

  • @blakejones2668
    @blakejones2668 Před 2 lety +311

    Douglas Gaffin was one of my professors in college. He's an outstanding educator.

  • @gamaltk
    @gamaltk Před 2 lety

    I absolutely love how high quality your videos have become

  • @azon6783
    @azon6783 Před 2 lety +2

    Congratulations on 10 million subscribers veritasium. It was very well deserved!!!!

  • @regulatorjohnson.
    @regulatorjohnson. Před 2 lety +229

    "even a blind man knows when the sun is shining, because he can feel it"
    bob weir of the grateful dead from the song Good Lovin'

    • @undergravitydownforce714
      @undergravitydownforce714 Před 2 lety +25

      yep! but a lot of artificial light produces next to no heat so it is pretty cool scorpions are good at detecting 'weaker' lights

    • @TheSulross
      @TheSulross Před 2 lety

      "scorpion senses"

    • @MrAwawe
      @MrAwawe Před 2 lety +10

      Well, this is due to the sunlight warming the skin, but moonlight contains almost no IR, and thus provides negligible warming

  • @domvasta
    @domvasta Před 2 lety +458

    Another fun fact about scorpions, unlike almost all other arachnids, they give birth to live offspring, they often ride around on their mother's back until they're large enough to fend for themselves, she'll use their front legs and claws to catch the baby scorplings and either put them on her back, or, sometimes, eat them if she's really hungry.

    • @maksvuka6013
      @maksvuka6013 Před 2 lety +183

      Damn that escalated quickly

    • @talisikid1618
      @talisikid1618 Před 2 lety +42

      Animals will be animals.

    • @orange4573
      @orange4573 Před 2 lety +29

      I have seen it myself and it is indeed the stuff of nightmares

    • @PiXie232
      @PiXie232 Před 2 lety +19

      Woah.. I did not know that they eat their young, or take care of them for that matter. Crazy..

    • @fourthpanda
      @fourthpanda Před 2 lety +14

      Why bother expending the energy to make a baby only yo take it back by eating it

  • @Beakerzor
    @Beakerzor Před 2 lety +5

    5:35 if you shine a light on your skin, you can feel it, but it doesn't mean you can "see" the light, like where it's coming from or distance, you just know when your arm is hot or not

  • @stevegamer273
    @stevegamer273 Před 2 lety

    It's just really nice to watch your videos, I always learn something new and they make me thinking. So, congrats for 10mil subscribers!

  • @RisingRevengeance
    @RisingRevengeance Před 2 lety +135

    Always nice to see people get excited about "weird things" they're passionate about.

    • @jaystarr6571
      @jaystarr6571 Před 2 lety +8

      From what I can tell, I currently have the 16th world's largest collection of vintage styrofoam cups! (VSC) But this weekend I may be adding to that with some that I've been after for a while!!! *AND* Some of my current collection is about to mature!! _Not that that's weird or anything._

    • @RisingRevengeance
      @RisingRevengeance Před 2 lety +4

      @@jaystarr6571 I mean if it makes you happy then that's all you need. I don't understand your hobby but I'd probably enjoy a video about it too.

    • @8kigana
      @8kigana Před 2 lety +1

      I have a running joke with mom, she raised beautiful flowers and I raised deadly desert scorpions.

    • @blahmonmonmon
      @blahmonmonmon Před 2 lety +1

      @@jaystarr6571 if you aren't being facetious i would honestly enjoy seeing what the 16th largest vintage styrofoam cup collection looks like. your description of it is nothing short of invigorating

    • @_timetravels4528
      @_timetravels4528 Před 2 lety +2

      these are the most interesting people to listen to.
      Everything is interesting if you give it a chance.
      Hell now I want to know about VSC... how you get them, what a collection looks like, what kind of conversation these guys collecting them have, lmao.

  • @whyjnot420
    @whyjnot420 Před 2 lety +212

    Its always great to see someone who so readily admits that their hypothesis was wrong. These are the people who really care about advancing the front of human knowledge.

    • @danieljensen2626
      @danieljensen2626 Před 2 lety +47

      Despite what the media may suggest, that is in fact the norm in scientific communities.

    • @generationfallout5189
      @generationfallout5189 Před 2 lety +7

      Daniel Jensen Smart people want the truth... even when it hurts. Even if it proves us wrong. Thinking in terms of the greater good. For humanity to actually be able to advance. We must share our losses for others to learn from as well. Its all relevant to our learning. Usually the truth just gets deeper and deeper. We must pursue the purest forms of truth and get as close as we can to understanding ourselves and this beautiful world. Without truth we can't reliably react and respond to our beautiful world. The world that we could make or break :(

    • @Dockhead
      @Dockhead Před 2 lety +1

      @@generationfallout5189 and society wants convenience and blind fold living regardless how much it impacts us individually.

    • @54788654478087654345
      @54788654478087654345 Před 2 lety +6

      Whenever I think of truth seeking in science, I'm careful not to forget about Linus Pauling. Arguably one of the greatest chemists and physicists of all time, two time Nobel prize winner, he fell head over heels for vitamin C as a cure all for human health. This is exactly why argument from authority in the scientific discipline should be the weakest form of argument. Smart people are great at finding real patterns and fake patterns.

    • @whyjnot420
      @whyjnot420 Před 2 lety +6

      @@54788654478087654345 Personally I always think of the story told by Richard Dawkins of an old professor at his university, being proven completely wrong about a theory he had spent much of his life working on.... walking up to the lecturer who had just proven him wrong and in front of everyone who attended this lecture proceeded to thank the man for proving him wrong and thus adding to the sum total of mans knowledge.
      That is a wonderful ideal. It might be hard to live up to such a wonderful ideal, but that is precisely what makes something an ideal in the first place.

  • @lekolartuben
    @lekolartuben Před 2 lety +128

    Hi, My family always watches your videos. We live in Sweden and this summer we went to Greece for vacation. We had a pretty large circular swimming-pool about 1 meter deep and about 10 meters in diameter. And me and my family started walking around the pool trying to get the pool in a circular motion. We asked some other people for help and they did help us. We were in total 7 adults and 5 kids doing it. The motion in the ocean :) began and every new person that entered the pool felt it and had to go with the flow direction. The funny thing is that we did this every day for a week and everybody believed that this was a pool that had fans and they swam around and around enjoying the pool. When we told people that this was not a mechanical motion and that it was started by us walking around most people did not believe us. The problem was that we just had an idéa that we tried and it worked but we could not explain it. You could make a video explaining this and I bet people with circular swimming-pools would go nuts over it. Sorry for my terrible english.

    • @CrazyGaming-ig6qq
      @CrazyGaming-ig6qq Před 2 lety +31

      So what happens if someone decide to go in the opposite direction, would the circular motion believers shun them as deviants?

    • @Hex...
      @Hex... Před 2 lety +19

      Presumably this is just the inertia of the water in the pool, it’s tendency to keep moving once you start it

    • @trake8195
      @trake8195 Před 2 lety +19

      @@Hex... I guess a way you can put it into perspective is when you stir a drink with a spoon and then take it out

    • @stritax9478
      @stritax9478 Před 2 lety +2

      @@trake8195 makes sense

    • @njones420
      @njones420 Před 2 lety +12

      @@CrazyGaming-ig6qq I believe whan a swimmer meets an anti-swimmer it results in annihilation and a huge release of energy.

  • @JohnnySins0
    @JohnnySins0 Před 2 lety

    Veritasium always finds a way to make people's day happier, he has inspired me to start my own channel🦂🦂

  • @StardogTheRed
    @StardogTheRed Před 2 lety +230

    5:00 I wonder if the heat from the bulb was controlled for? I imagine they were incandescent lights, the year being 1968 and all, and would therefore give off a good amount of heat/infrared as well. If the experiment could be redone with LEDs or some other more efficient type of lighting, I wonder if the results would still be the same.

    • @hammerth1421
      @hammerth1421 Před 2 lety +14

      I'm pretty sure it was done with LEDs, not some old 60 watt bulb like the visualisation shows.

    • @IrvineTheHunter
      @IrvineTheHunter Před 2 lety +8

      I also wondered this, like I can feel the heat of the sun, can't imagine they can't.

    • @KalebPeters99
      @KalebPeters99 Před 2 lety +37

      I wondered the same. It looks like the experiment was re-created in 2012 (it's the third paper in the description) and with how precisely they controlled the wavelength I can't imagine they didn't use LEDs
      There isn't an explicit mention in the abstract though. Anyone with the funds feel free to actually access the paper 😆

    • @YawnGod
      @YawnGod Před 2 lety +7

      They did use LEDs.

    • @Anankin12
      @Anankin12 Před 2 lety +1

      @@KalebPeters99 let me try to find it via lib gen or something

  • @DashFlashTheLife
    @DashFlashTheLife Před 2 lety +1679

    "This fluoresces about the same color as a scorpion, but it's not a scorpion, it's actually a rock"
    I don't know why that made me laugh

    • @tunahanyilmazdev
      @tunahanyilmazdev Před 2 lety +30

      2:22

    • @user-bl4oq7fd8d
      @user-bl4oq7fd8d Před 2 lety +89

      It's actually a rock.
      What is it?
      It's plastic from Walpole.
      wtf

    • @eyescreamcake
      @eyescreamcake Před 2 lety +6

      It may in fact be a moth.

    • @JoeBlac
      @JoeBlac Před 2 lety +39

      @@user-bl4oq7fd8d I know that's what the captioning says, but I think he says, "it's plastic from a milk bottle."

    • @Getoverhere666
      @Getoverhere666 Před 2 lety +8

      rock lobster

  • @rhyboy1
    @rhyboy1 Před 2 lety

    i love people who are passionate and just become experts through that passion....... then we get to learn for them.

  • @AverageBrethren
    @AverageBrethren Před 2 lety +8

    Scorpions: have a fluorescence feature for a specified reason.
    Humans: lmao scorpion finding flashlight.

  • @00kidney
    @00kidney Před 2 lety +861

    I'm not usually a fan of these creatures but this video really made me reevaluate them. Thank you for broadening my horizons!

    • @AllAmericanGuyExpert
      @AllAmericanGuyExpert Před 2 lety +32

      Oh, come on. You are sitting around, presumably in your pajamas on a Saturday morning, drinking your coffee, REEVALUATING your fanaticism of scorpions? I find that hard to believe.

    • @zhankazest
      @zhankazest Před 2 lety +13

      @@AllAmericanGuyExpert i was about to say "i dont find that hard to believe" and some other stuff but then i realised its almost 5 am and maybe i shouldnt say something possiibley stupid when my brain is operating at the lowest possible speed
      im going to sleep now

    • @I1am2me3DuhP
      @I1am2me3DuhP Před 2 lety

      @@zhankazest gary

    • @devilous_4374
      @devilous_4374 Před 2 lety +3

      wtf is this

    • @zhankazest
      @zhankazest Před 2 lety

      @@I1am2me3DuhP what

  • @semicolonxd4076
    @semicolonxd4076 Před 2 lety +4

    1:19 I've seriously never thought in my life that Veritasium is gonna use this music.

  • @thestragequack3598
    @thestragequack3598 Před 2 lety

    Yoh! 10M🥳 Congratulations my man!🎊❤️

  • @edwardfletcher7790
    @edwardfletcher7790 Před 2 lety

    This was wayyyy more interesting than I thought it would be ! Thank you 👍

  • @samarthranjeprojects826
    @samarthranjeprojects826 Před 2 lety +299

    Fun fact: Scorpions can hold their breath for 6 days. They have something called book lungs. They are layers of membranes- like pages of a book- in the exoskeleton of scorpions these membranes trap and hold their oxygen. However there is a species called the northern pseudoscorpion, can go up to 17 days without breathing. They are found in Canada, near the Arctic Circle. They are smaller than other scorpions. Hope this helps 😊

    • @johankriel8883
      @johankriel8883 Před 2 lety +6

      Baboons look for scorpions under rocks, as a snack. I've never had scorpion, except for a few stings, but now I'm curious. Could scorpions replace barium?

    • @jtch6668
      @jtch6668 Před 2 lety +16

      Pseudoscorpions are not scorpions

    • @autodidacticartisan
      @autodidacticartisan Před 2 lety +15

      Yeah thanks it does help it helps alot. Ive always wanted to challenge a scorpion to a breathe holding contest and now I know to make sure my opponent isnt a northern psuedoscorpion.

    • @samarthranjeprojects826
      @samarthranjeprojects826 Před 2 lety +1

      @@autodidacticartisanYour welcome!😉

    • @samarthranjeprojects826
      @samarthranjeprojects826 Před 2 lety

      @@jtch6668 they are scorpions

  • @timseguine2
    @timseguine2 Před 2 lety +110

    "We have bodily fluids that fluoresce"
    Ah, yes, I see you have seen those news exposés as well.

    • @wallaroo1295
      @wallaroo1295 Před 2 lety +15

      When I was a Police Officer, my agency has our National Academy in a southern state - for advanced classes, we stayed at a really cheap government contract Travel Lodge, in a really bad neighborhood. Prostitution, drugs - the run. It was a horrible place to have lodging while you went to advanced classes for weeks at a time. Until the students from the Crime Scene Investigator classes started doing testing on the conditions of their rooms and sending the results to their Senators... LaQuinta picked up the contract! Eww, but LOL at the same time.

    • @LemonToGo
      @LemonToGo Před 2 lety +10

      Never turn on a UV lamp in a teenagers room.

    • @jezzbanger
      @jezzbanger Před 2 lety +4

      Surely this invites hypothesis 7, all scorpions are participants/victims of certain erotic acts.

    • @wallaroo1295
      @wallaroo1295 Před 2 lety +2

      Scorps like the bukake I guess! LOL

    • @wallaroo1295
      @wallaroo1295 Před 2 lety

      @@jezzbanger With corresponding six-figure grant funding for five years of "research."

  • @atulkumar943
    @atulkumar943 Před 2 lety

    @Verisatium Congratulations for 10 Millions man!!
    Keep it up broo

  • @amiemarieart
    @amiemarieart Před 2 lety

    New subscriber here, I've never been great at maths or physics, but I'm am actually loving learning everything in your videos, you've made it exciting and I am finding myself asking "why & how" on everything around me 😁

  • @TheRealGuywithoutaMustache
    @TheRealGuywithoutaMustache Před 2 lety +1238

    So their entire body is like a light detector, letting them know when it is and isn't safe to hunt for food. Evolution really works in mysterious ways.

  • @DoiInthanon1897
    @DoiInthanon1897 Před 2 lety +41

    I can’t imagine what this guy can’t cover in his videos. The epitome of knowledge is right here folks

  • @malkolmmonomoy7890
    @malkolmmonomoy7890 Před 2 lety +1

    Congrats on 10 mil, fascinating video!

  • @waseemyousafzai1150
    @waseemyousafzai1150 Před 2 lety +2

    Congratulations on reaching 10 million! Wish you more success!

  • @AntsCanada
    @AntsCanada Před 2 lety +313

    I love scorpions and have a UV light fixated over mine!

    • @relativedepression4604
      @relativedepression4604 Před 2 lety +16

      I cannot wait to see that horrible footage you just posted

    • @domvasta
      @domvasta Před 2 lety +56

      I don't think that's good for them, mine rune away when I shine UV on them, and the video here said that exposing them to UV photobleached them, so be careful, don't put your enjoyment of an animal over that animal's wellbeing.

    • @camogiraffe2736
      @camogiraffe2736 Před 2 lety +8

      Why does this feal like you promoting your CZcams channel on Varitasium's video?

    • @camogiraffe2736
      @camogiraffe2736 Před 2 lety

      Love your videos by the way

    • @afiqhyper1811
      @afiqhyper1811 Před 2 lety +9

      Why is everyone being toxic antcanada is just saying he likes scorpion 😑😑

  • @whitenoise509
    @whitenoise509 Před 2 lety +39

    Did the study about scorpions sensing light rule out the possibility of them reacting to heat output? At the time that study took place light bulbs were extremely inefficient, producing an abysmal amount of light compared to their heat output.

    • @jamesbullo
      @jamesbullo Před 2 lety +6

      I have doubts about their findings in the 1968 experiment. Clearly I don't have it to read in detail but sounds more like...we painted sunglasses over their eyes and they could still detect light. So it must be from their body 🤪

    • @odeia18
      @odeia18 Před 2 lety

      ​@@jamesbullo i was skeptical about that too

    • @alexschalk5439
      @alexschalk5439 Před 2 lety

      @@jamesbullo I imagine there have been followup studies since then. I dunno how thicck the paint is, but it seems plausible it could block all light

    • @jamesbullo
      @jamesbullo Před 2 lety +1

      @@alexschalk5439 I looked at the reference link for the 1968 report on it's findings but it seems only the abstract from the report is a available for free. Here is a quote from said abstract. "A chance observation suggested that in the scorpion part of this activity might be an artefact caused by the illumination of the metasoma (the “tail”)."
      A chance observation doesn't sound like it was repeated. If there are more recent experiments seems the video didn't mention them.

  • @Aqua2D
    @Aqua2D Před 2 lety

    Congrats on 10mil dude. well deserved!

  • @kokickss2488
    @kokickss2488 Před 2 lety

    Congrats on 10M subscribers! also love watching your videos, keep it up.

  • @alexclovis4590
    @alexclovis4590 Před 2 lety +118

    I understand that the scorpions arguably had their ability to detect UV removed by bleaching the UV coating away, but how does this disprove the idea that the scorpions were not simply exposed to the UV light for so long that they were conditioned to it. This idea of course proposes that they have another system to detect UV rays, but I feel like with the information I was given about the test, it poses a small flaw (I do not know about scorpion psychology nor their ability to retain information or how they handle it, this is a mere thought I thought would be interesting to voice)

    • @jasonlast7091
      @jasonlast7091 Před 2 lety +10

      I share the same thoughts however there seems to be other compounding evidence of the hypothesis so I suspect it is fairly accurate if not precise. I think it's also worth noting that more than one hypothesis can be true and they are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

    • @twilightknight123
      @twilightknight123 Před 2 lety +12

      Not even conditioned to it, but maybe even their eyes were damaged beyond function. If they were in UV for so long that it photobleached the entire body, they were certainly in there long enough to do damage to the (human) eye. I only work with lasers so I don't know how scorpion and human eyes differ.

    • @wmopp9100
      @wmopp9100 Před 2 lety +1

      @@twilightknight123 exactly, not a good test at all. why not use full spectrum vs non-UV light to test this.

    • @balasubramaniana9541
      @balasubramaniana9541 Před 2 lety

      @@wmopp9100 if UV light is invisible to the human eye, then how it appears in violet colour?

    • @matts2956
      @matts2956 Před 2 lety +13

      @@balasubramaniana9541 Two reasons: most cheap/consumer UV flash lights and bulbs don't perfectly emit a single wavelength, they emit a range of wavelengths that's strongest in the UVA range but also emit some light in the visible range. You cannot see the beam of an expensive UV laser since it's focused to a narrower range of wavelengths; that also makes UV lasers extremely dangerous since you cannot tell if the beam is pointed at your eye. The other not-as-major reason is that there isn't a distinct line between visible light and UV light; the eyes can faintly detect some light at the boundary of the UV range but not enough to see UV light in any meaningful way.

  • @jackbarbey
    @jackbarbey Před 2 lety +50

    I'd like to hear more about the sensory hypothesis. It seems to me that if, in order to make a scorpion non florescent, he has to light them for long periods with a UV light, those particular scorpions might have adapted their behavior to the increased UV environment, thus explaining the behavioral differences.

    • @yooviyo
      @yooviyo Před 2 lety +1

      Was looking for exactly this comment before I'd post it myself. Thanks.

    • @unsapient2197
      @unsapient2197 Před 2 lety

      Wow this is a great point

    • @8kigana
      @8kigana Před 2 lety

      UV light is more dangerous for scorpions and creatures (lessens their glow after a period of exposure and causes more stress). It's a good way to kill them. Besides scorpions are nocturnal and don't need light to hunt.

  • @Real_koyo
    @Real_koyo Před 2 lety

    Video editing is next level great job

  • @subhashinishivamurthy5010

    Congrats on 10 mil subs mate

  • @SurajKumar-xs9ig
    @SurajKumar-xs9ig Před 2 lety +140

    This video seemed like a small botany class of PANDORA's ecosystem, with all the bio-fluorescence.

    • @DracarmenWinterspring
      @DracarmenWinterspring Před 2 lety +1

      I think the stuff on Pandora was bioluminescent (emitting its own light, rather than sort of reflecting light in a different color like fluorescence does). There's even a soundtrack from Avatar called "bioluminescence of the night".

  • @vipa1737
    @vipa1737 Před 2 lety +48

    Alternate title: Torturing scorpions until they tell us why they’re florescent

    • @squeakybunny2776
      @squeakybunny2776 Před 2 lety

      It's called research...

    • @anuj2991
      @anuj2991 Před 2 lety +6

      @@squeakybunny2776 it's called a joke....

    • @squeakybunny2776
      @squeakybunny2776 Před 2 lety

      @@anuj2991 lots of people are against such scientific research... It's sad but it is reality

    • @girishradhakrishnan2699
      @girishradhakrishnan2699 Před 2 lety +1

      @@anuj2991 Please don't kill mosquito at night or use repellent, don't torture them. LOL

    • @qabrm5367
      @qabrm5367 Před 2 lety

      Well....not only scorpions

  • @ikasuki1
    @ikasuki1 Před 2 lety

    Congratulation on 10M and providing us with wonder and digestible knowledge for all those years :)

  • @steveh6039
    @steveh6039 Před 2 lety +1

    Congrats on 10 mil!

  • @ignitionnight
    @ignitionnight Před 2 lety +14

    I loved this episode, rather than having something explained we got to follow the scientific method a researcher followed which was really cool.

  • @rledoux99
    @rledoux99 Před 2 lety +34

    cool transition @ 9:26 ..🤯.. it's been awesome watching this channel transform from a nerdy Ontario student's basement hobby into the popular & professional world-renowned viewing experience it is now. Informative & inspiring, thanks Derek! 🙏

  • @Articulate99
    @Articulate99 Před 2 lety

    Always interesting, thank you.

  • @prathamsrivastava5867
    @prathamsrivastava5867 Před 2 lety

    Congo Sir, for reaching 100 subscribers👏👏. You make amazing videos that includes science and truth. Great work.👍 Hats off to you Sir. Love 💙 from India 🇮🇳

  • @madiis18account
    @madiis18account Před 2 lety +60

    I was literally *just* discussing this with a professor from Melbourne University who studies colour in invertebrates! Het name is Devi Stuart-Fox, if you're ever able to come back to Melbourne you should totally reach out to her, she's great

  • @lyger_playz
    @lyger_playz Před 2 lety +84

    00:57 "I'm going to grab my high-tech scorpion catching equipment here."
    *pulls out a bottle and a stick

    • @gekkkoincroe
      @gekkkoincroe Před 2 lety +4

      Well if he used any less ,he would have been stung and dead

  • @GabTheAdventurer
    @GabTheAdventurer Před 2 lety +2

    10 Million Subscribers, congratulations! Been waiting for a long time.

  • @whiterabbit2786
    @whiterabbit2786 Před 2 lety

    What a fun guy to interview.

  • @Xitoshi
    @Xitoshi Před 2 lety +85

    Clickbait title: "Six crazy hypothesis for why scorpions are fluorescent. You won't believe the 5th!"

  • @ryanchowdhary965
    @ryanchowdhary965 Před 2 lety +96

    Now I understand why scorpions have the ability to pierce through metal plates.

    • @TheSulross
      @TheSulross Před 2 lety

      in movies I think the scorpions all get upgraded to titanium

    • @ryanchowdhary965
      @ryanchowdhary965 Před 2 lety +1

      @@TheSulross no, maybe orcahilacum or adamantite.

  • @mlemz7766
    @mlemz7766 Před 2 lety +10

    'The trade-off is always should I go out tonight, or should I stay in my hole'. I never thought I would agree with a scorpion but here we are

  • @lylemacdonald6672
    @lylemacdonald6672 Před 2 lety +18

    Crayfish also prefer dark places and also have light sensitive receptors in their tail section. By casting a shadow on this spot, even when their eyes are painted over, it elicits the tail flip escape response. Such a skill would help the crayfish escape from a predator luring in the water above it. Possibly the scorpian's light sensing abilities have a similar function?

    • @somedudeok1451
      @somedudeok1451 Před 2 lety +1

      I'd say by the time a bird blocks out the light above the scorpion it's already too late to run.

  • @diophantine1598
    @diophantine1598 Před 2 lety +4

    Veritasium is really on a roll! I commend the frequent releases.

  • @lohitnagar5700
    @lohitnagar5700 Před 2 lety +141

    “An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” -Martin Buber

  • @nikkifawkes6776
    @nikkifawkes6776 Před 2 lety

    Great vid as always!

  • @Xeractyll
    @Xeractyll Před 2 lety +1

    CONGRATS ON 10MIL OMG

  • @livnenir
    @livnenir Před 2 lety +3

    2 things to note:
    1) showing us the different hypothesis and the path of since was great here:)
    2) thats the first time a sponsor I'll be clicking a sponsor link!!

  • @ParrotX2
    @ParrotX2 Před 2 lety +107

    All fun and games till you mistake one for a glow stick

  • @professorxgaming2070
    @professorxgaming2070 Před 2 lety +1

    I like the defense mechanism to detect how visible they are to their predators hypothesis. Really awesome video. Really makes you think about evolution

  • @mcig98
    @mcig98 Před 2 lety

    CONGRATS ON 10 MIL YOOOO

  • @emre5423
    @emre5423 Před 2 lety +15

    Congrats on 10 million Derek, I've been a subscriber for quite a while now, and I think this channel is one of the best channels on CZcams! Thank you for making quality videos, and allowing us to learn new things :)

    • @gingeroots1405
      @gingeroots1405 Před 2 lety

      Destin is only shy by 20k subscribers. Come on guys!

    • @ainukoinu7862
      @ainukoinu7862 Před 2 lety

      @@gingeroots1405 Smarter every day!!!!!!

    • @ainukoinu7862
      @ainukoinu7862 Před 2 lety

      @@gingeroots1405 Laminar flow!!! Snatch blocks!!! Rupert's drops!! aaAAAAHHHH

  • @mctg9043
    @mctg9043 Před 2 lety +6

    5:42 Camouflage*

  • @TheVirtualArena24
    @TheVirtualArena24 Před 2 lety

    Finally 10m subs congratulations Derek

  • @ComradeMario
    @ComradeMario Před 2 lety +1

    congrats on 10 million subscribers! 🎉

  • @jackwaechter2449
    @jackwaechter2449 Před 2 lety +4

    You’re about to 10 million subs. Totally deserved congrats

  • @youtubersingingmoments4402
    @youtubersingingmoments4402 Před 2 lety +14

    5:40 has by far the strangest spelling of "camouflage" I've ever seen.

  • @NaturalSelection-gn3nn
    @NaturalSelection-gn3nn Před 2 lety +2

    Congrats on 10 mil

  • @ermanakar
    @ermanakar Před 2 lety +4

    Man, you are the epitome of being productive when you do something you love.

  • @Dev-qk2ox
    @Dev-qk2ox Před 2 lety +22

    Isn't it amazing that some people say that there's no chance of alien life when we're discovering new things on our planet still today! There is no great filter we've just not looked long enough and I'm positive that there's definitely something out there :)

    • @renderproductions1032
      @renderproductions1032 Před 2 lety +4

      Well there is definitely something out there if the universe is infinite, but that doesn’t mean it is possible for us to find aliens. The speed of light is finite, after all.

    • @renderproductions1032
      @renderproductions1032 Před 2 lety +14

      @King Pistachion happy to be constantly urinating?

    • @HaganConnell
      @HaganConnell Před 2 lety +14

      @King Pistachion I wish CZcams showed dislikes on comments so you could have the opportunity to realize how little positive impact comments like those have on the people around you.

    • @Filiolus
      @Filiolus Před 2 lety +1

      @@HaganConnell it was nice back in the day when you could, but it led to mass disliking. Now it just flags it as offensive or sends it down the main comment list sadly.

    • @johnlucas6683
      @johnlucas6683 Před 2 lety

      There is most definitely other life forms outside our Earth. The question is are there other intelligent lifeforms?

  • @kdrecords4562
    @kdrecords4562 Před 2 lety

    Your 10 million following is well deserved, Derek.

  • @going4it914
    @going4it914 Před 2 lety +1

    Congrats on 10 milion subs dude!! You really deserve it man… :D

  • @JusNoBS420
    @JusNoBS420 Před 2 lety +9

    So much sea life actually sees in Ultra Violet. When you watch deep sea diving videos were they use UV cameras the ocean floor looks completely different and colorful

  • @Dezzo0721
    @Dezzo0721 Před 2 lety +33

    This dude gonna change the title by tomorrow
    Today:
    “Why are scorpions fluorescent”
    Tomorrow:
    “Scorpions glow in the dark, here’s why”

  • @poohjinping3363
    @poohjinping3363 Před 2 lety

    Yes Derek I looooove overpaying when I shop

  • @MrKelenek
    @MrKelenek Před 2 lety

    What has always intrigued me about scorpions is their shape... The overhead stinger, its so unique looking.

  • @AppNasty
    @AppNasty Před 2 lety +39

    Funny when he mentions that it may be used for sensory and jokes that "some" have hypothesized it. Like, to him that's funny. To us it sounds normal. That's when you know this guy is a scorpion nerd.

    • @gekkkoincroe
      @gekkkoincroe Před 2 lety +1

      What I don't get you is sounds normal to me even if you explained it

  • @Kknewkles
    @Kknewkles Před 2 lety +23

    "Moonlight Greatclaw"
    Would be pretty cool if Ludwig turned into a scorpion on a whim

  • @thingsexplained4898
    @thingsexplained4898 Před 2 lety +1

    Congratulations on 10 million subscribers sir👏👏👏

  • @schimonshagedorun8067
    @schimonshagedorun8067 Před 2 lety

    i never knew i needed to know more about this topic

  • @stephmaccormick3195
    @stephmaccormick3195 Před 2 lety +6

    5:00 That experiment would be interesting to replicate with lights that don't emit heat, like LEDs or something similar.

    • @crackwitz
      @crackwitz Před 2 lety +1

      or add filters that remove everything but UV
      and compare that to the same level of UV but with other light too
      or test an equivalent amount of total energy all in UV vs. spread across the spectrum