EUSCORPIUS  FLAVICAUDIS

SCORPION IN BLUETOWN DOCKYARD WALL!

Watch out when you go for a walk near the dockyard wall in Bluetown part of Sheerness you might see one of these lovely creatures.

The warmer the weather, the more the males seek sex and the more offspring that survive. The brown-yellow creature grows to about one inch, but it is unlikely to deliver much of a sting. It is described as a delicate, fragile little beastie. They have been with us since the days of George III and have a grim reputation. But soon they could be wiped out - at the hands of yuppies. Researchers have warned that Britain's only colony of scorpions - 10,000 stinging arachnids that have made a permanent home in Sheerness Docks - could become victims of a plan to build loft apartments during dock redevelopment works. 'I am extremely worried,' said Dr Tim Benton, of Stirling University, who has studied the scorpions for the past decade. 'These little creatures have been part of the landscape for 200 years, but we could lose them because they are not a native species of Britain, and therefore are not entitled to legal protection. It is believed the Sheerness scorpions arrived in cargoes of Italian masonry during the Georgian era and settled in the port's dockyard walls. Yellowtailed scorpions, Euscorpus flavicaudis, have found Kent's warm weather to their taste, and in recent years, with global warming, have multiplied vigorously. Dr Benton estimates there are now between 10,000 and 15,000 yellowtails living in crevices in the dockyard walls. The Yellowtailed scorpion grows to a couple of inches in length and is dark chocolate brown with a yellow-tipped tail. 'They do have a sting, a bit like an ant's, but nothing like as bad as a bee's,' added Dr Benton. 'You have to get them really mad before they will attack. For most of their lives, Yellowtailed scorpions do absolutely nothing. They live in crevices without moving - until a woodlouse or spider scuttles past. Then they pounce, and devour the hapless passer-by. Thanks to an incredibly low metabolic rate, yellowtails can live on only four or five such catches a year. 'Essentially, they are active for about 10 minutes every 12 month,' added Dr Benton. Occasionally, a few scorpions manage to travel to other sites and set up independent colonies, but none have survived. Only the Sheerness scorpions have thrived. But now their existence is threatened. Medway Ports, owners of Sheerness Docks, is negotiating the sale of the scorpion site with its buildings being scheduled for restoration to their original residential use. said Dr Benton. A spokesman for Medway Ports admitted the scorpion site was being sold off, although he stressed no plans had been put forward that might affect the creatures. An English Nature official also confirmed that the scorpions could not be legally protected.