The clues they use to tell them its time to hide are absent. For the comparison ‘without’ UV light shot I simply repeated the exposure, without using the UV torch. A scorpion naturally wants to hide from the visible light, but they will remain exposed to the UVB bulbs, resulting in extended exposure. ‘Painting’ in this instance meant moving the torch around and illuminating the scorpion from different angles so it was evenly lit in the final shot and there were no UV ‘shadows’. Illuminating the scorpion required ‘painting’ it with UV light using a torch during the duration of the exposure. Given how gloomy the whole scene was this naturally resulted in a very slow shutter speed, in this case six seconds, so camera and lens were held rock steady on a tripod (challenging to set up inside a hollow log). A small aperture was selected to give a substantial depth of field that would ‘capture’ the entire scorpion and the forest behind. And don't worry this species is pretty harmless and placid, a sting is no worse than that of a bee or wasp.

In this instance the front lens element was around 10cm away from the scorpion (which was about the size of a large crayfish). To achieve this, I had to manoeuvre the lens as close as possible to the subject, so the scorpion would look a significant size in the image. The use of an extreme wideangle fisheye lens allowed me to incorporate the whole scorpion, the log interior and the forest beyond in a single composition. This photo shows a large Borneo giant forest scorpion ( Heterometrus longimanus) (in Danum Valley, Sabah) inside the hollow log it was resting in during the day. I wanted to illustrate the scorpion within its habitat and if possible the ‘with’ and ‘without’ UV light comparison. Simply taking a shot at night (which I’ve done) is not overly interesting as the result is simply a blue-green glowing scorpion surrounded by inky blackness. So I’ve had plenty of time and opportunity to ponder a worthwhile approach. I often go out specifically looking for them (and other similarly intriguing ‘creepy crawlies’) and I’ve been on the wrong end of a scorpion sting a couple of times too (ones that had crawled under the ground sheet of my tent).

I have spent a lot of time in tropical rainforests (they are my favourite and preferred habitat), so I’ve encountered a fair few scorpions in my time. The phenomenon has also been used to the disadvantage of scorpions as it makes them easy to detect and be eradicated from areas close to human habitation - UV torches are often marketed for ‘pest control’.īut what might be a good way to illustrate this remarkable aspect of scorpion biology in the wild? How best to take a photograph? Look very carefully and you can just make out the outline and form of the scorpion in the photo below. Below: the same shot with only natural light. I do suggest that you use normal lighting to view your scorp, you could use a natural sunlight lamp if you wish and just use a black light every now and again to see the scorp glow up.Above: the Borneo giant forest scorpion (about 15cm long) illuminated with UV light. If one is out of wild balance to the other potential problems could become apparent. These wavelengths need to be balanced and provided as in nature. UVB is the wavelengths of light from 290 to 310nm ish and is primarily responsible for the D3 cycle in all living things. It is thought to help animals with serotonin production and of course is essential to 'activate' colour vision in tetrachromatic species. UVA is a term used to describe light at 310-400nm and is invisible to humans. You will not any fluorescence in these species from a standard reptile lamp. It is the same as those lamps that you get at gigs that make your white clothes glow up. Are you aware that Black lights emit virtually no visible light to humans. Yes you can use a linear T8 lamp to do this.

Uv light on scorpion