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Generally...

A male scorpion will start by courting the female, grasping her pedipalps (pincers) and leading her in a dance. Every now and again, the couple will 'kiss' by bringing their chelea (mouthparts) close together. The male will start to quiver, without moving his legs, which is thought to help spread the male's pheromones (a substance scorpions produce to attract females). The male will then pull the female towards him and lead her to a suitable flat surface, where he will leave his spermatophore (a package of sperm) for the female to take into her genital operculum to fertilize the eggs.

The "kissing" behavior of scorpions during mating
Scorpion converted into a meal

Sometimes, the male will sting to the female to sedate her while mating. Afterwards, the female will often make a meal out of her partner, eating the smaller male. In a few species, the male is the larger of the two and will eat the female instead… How romantic!

Gestation time

In Pandinus imperator, or the common emperor scorpion, gestation tends to last between seven and nine months. The baby scorpions will be soft-shelled and have a white color. They will cling to their mother's back for a few weeks, until their first molt, when they'll turn light brown, going slightly darker with each molt. A female may give birth to 32 young at a time (less in captivity), but it is not uncommon for her to eat one or two of her offspring.

For other species of scorpions, however, gestation periods can range from 2 months up to even 18 months ! Yes ! That's more than 1 year - even longer than humans ! Here are just some information about gestation periods of scorpions :

Species=(Gestation periods in months)

Bothriurus bonariensis = (12)

Buthus occitanus = (10)

Centruroides ancherellus = (4)

C.guanensis = (4.5)

C.insulanus = (5)

C.robertoi = (4)

C.vittatus = (8)

Isomatrus maculatus = (2.5)

Leirus quinsquestriatus =(5)

Tityus bahiensis = (2.5-4.2)

T.fasciolatus = (3-10)

T.serrulatus = (4.5)

The Births !

So you've got the theory - but what actually happens during birth ?

Scorpion births are one of the most touching examples of how great mothers can be. Even during the birth (parturition), the mother scorpion takes great care to ensure that her babies are not harmed by the hard substrate. Just before, the mother will take a stance called "stilting", where the bottom part of her is entirely lifted off the substrate, and the metasoma is arched. The pedipalps are flexed, and the first 2 pairs of legs are curved just below her genital opercula (where the babies would emerge).

This tangle of legs serves as a "birth basket" for the babies, so when they fall out from the genital operculum, they would land safely and softly within the birth basket. What a gentle gesture by such an animal ! As the female stilts, the genital opercula opens and the young drop out one by one. Very soon after birth, they become mobile and ascend from this birth basket onto their mother's back, where they remain until their first few molts are complete.

References

Polis, G.A., "The Biology of Scorpions", pp 184-187.