← back to grid
uncommon
Common Scorpionfly
Panorpa communis
- Habitat
- Shaded hedgerows, nettle beds and damp woodland edges across Europe
- Wingspan
- 30 mm
- Order
- Mecoptera · Panorpidae
Weird but real
The male's tail curls up into a bulb that looks exactly like a scorpion's stinger — but it's harmless genitalia, not a weapon.
Why it's cool
It bluffs like a scorpion, eats the dead, and males must hand over a gift of saliva or carrion before any female will mate.
