---
title: "Western Forest Scorpion"
description: "Uroctonus mordax — Insecten en spinnen. Uroctonus mordax, known generally as the California forest scorpion or western forest scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Vaejovidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/western-forest-scorpion
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Western Forest Scorpion

> Uroctonus mordax — Insecten en spinnen. Uroctonus mordax, known generally as the California forest scorpion or western forest scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Vaejovidae.

- Scientific name: *Uroctonus mordax*
- Category: `insects` (Insecten en spinnen)
- Habitats: `forest` (Bos)
- iNaturalist observations: 7086
- Wikidata: [Q3552332](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3552332)
- iNaturalist taxon: [52576](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/52576)

## Names

- en: Western Forest Scorpion

## Countries with the most observations

US (6375)

## Summary

Uroctonus mordax, known generally as the California forest scorpion or western forest scorpion, is a species of scorpion in the family Vaejovidae. Most notably, this species is almost entirely restricted to California's Redwood Forests and Oak Woodlands, and is considered a foundational species in those ecosystems. They are most often found on south or west-facing slopes, under rocks or logs on the ground, and prefer a moist environment.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uroctonus_mordax

## Photo

![Western Forest Scorpion](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/western-forest-scorpion/medium.jpg)

Photo: russnamitz · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/94166051

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/western-forest-scorpion?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).