The Yellow-Tailed Scorpion (Euscorpius flavicaudis) has managed to set up at least one thriving colony in an isolated area of England Despite the generally cool and mild climate here in the UK . These scorpions have occasionally been found at several coastal towns across the south of England over the years but the best known and most successful site is on the Isle of Sheppy in Kent where the dock-land town of Sheerness. This Yellow-Tailed Scorpion population has an estimated size of up to 10-15,000 specimens! This population was the first ever recorded in the UK way back in the 1860’s. The Yellow Tailed Scorpion has been living in the south-facing walls, rock crevices, abandoned buildings and railway sleepers of these docks for well over 150 years now. It is widely accepted that they originally found there way into the UK accidentally amid shipments of Italian masonry.Although the majority of the Sheerness scorpions live within the relative safety of the private docks some can be found on the South-facing wall that surrounds the docks. Other reported possible sightings of these scorpions have come from Harwich docks, Pinner, Tilbury docks, Portsmouth docks and Southampton docks as well as Ongar Underground Station but none have populations as long established and successful as Sheerness.
