E.P. VICENZI/SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM CONSERVATION INSTITUTE AND NIST
ENRICHED TIP: This stinger contains zinc (red) and manganese (green).
Scientists have long known that scorpions have metal reinforcing their snapping pincers and venomous stinger. To learn more, researchers at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., mapped the metal content in the hard outer exoskeletons of 18 scorpion species.
Using powerful microscopes and X-rays, the team found that scorpion stingers contained the metal manganese or zinc concentrated at the needle-like tip. They also found zinc or a mixture of zinc and iron along the cutting edge of the animals’ pincers. These metals likely make the built-in weapons stronger and more durable.