Heterometrus spinifer molting

I should have posted this a long time ago but i had to select the best pix from the whole bunch. These are pix of my wild-caught H. spinifer (Dusun) molting.

Stuffing (her) face prior to molting


1st phase: rupture of the carapace and extraction of the chelicerae


2nd phase: extraction of the legs and pedipalps










3rd phase: Inflation of limbs; primary segments


Finally Free


This one was taken hours later, the exoskeleton has hardened and the pedipalps have 'bloomed' to full size with thorny granulation.

alex.. that is TOO cool man.

I always love watching scorpions moulting, it's amazing how much they can distort thier limbs whilst doing so.

nice: P

wicked pictures.

I have never caught one of mine sloughing from scratch, I always catch them after the pedipalps are out.

Holy crap, that has awesome written all over it!

Sure puts my H. longimanus molting sequence to shame.

Thnks guys, its was one sleepless night for me... I actually took footage of the entire sequence but its something like 8 hours long and I dunno howto edit it and put it on you tube... so this was the best I could do.

And Mike, it was those pics of yours that inspired me to capture these, and for that I can't thank you enough.

cheers

Lol, it figures.

That is excellent camera work dude.