the stings of Malagasy scorpions are painful (morphine may be necessary), but are not life threatening. Scorpions are nocturnal and fluoresce beautifully under ultraviolet irradiation, making them easy to find by the properly equipped. They are fond of holing up for the day in places that people are likely to want to use: shoes, pockets, and odd corners in back packs are not unusual places to find scorpions.