Habitat:

The distribution of Opistophthalmus karrooensis reaches from the south-eastern Western Cape into the southern parts of the eastern Northern Cape. Two localities were oberved.
The habitats are hilly and steadily, but loose overgrown with shrubs and small plants. Some places were also overgrown by some small bushes.
Especially the hills are very rocky and provide a lot of hides for the scorpions. Flat and big rocks are very common here. Because of the lack of trees and the rarity of bushes the whole habitat is sunny and hot.
The soil is not very loamy, so digging deep burrows is difficult for animals.

Northern locality:
The summers in October to March are hot with more than 35°C at day and the winters can be very cold with temperatures below 5°C in the night.
Escially in the Northern Cape raining days are very rare. The best Chance for rain is in the summer, when heavy thunderstorms occur. The winter is extremely dry.
Here the soil is much more loamy here.



Southern locality:
This locality is slightly different to the first one in climate conditions during the year. Here the winter is more wet than the summer - a consequence of the proximity to the coastal areas. Temperature in summer is also hot there with more than 30°C and the winter can become relative cold with temperatures below 5°C.



Scorpions:

At the northern locality just Opistophthalmus karrooensis were observed. At the southern locality Parabuthus planicauda, Uroplectes marlothi, U. triangulifer and Opistophthalmus pictus were found in the same habitat.

Opistophthalmus karrooensis adult male - Northern Cape




Opistophthalmus karrooensis adult female - Northern Cape



Opistophthalmus karrooensis mating couple - Northern Cape


Opistophthalmus pictus adult male - Western Cape



Parabuthus planicauda adult female - Western Cape


Parabuthus planicauda adult male - Western Cape



Uroplectes marlothi adult female - Western  Cape


Uroplectes marlothi adult male - Western Cape


Uroplectes triangulifer adult female - Western Cape


Uroplectes triangulifer adult male - Western Cape



Other invertebrates

Termites and ants
Centipedes (up to 10cm)
Spiders (small and medium sized species)
Grasshoppers and crickets (medium sized and big species)
Cockroaches (small species)
Moths (small to big species)
Many Millipedes (They seem to be importand food for Opistophthalmus!)



Reptiles

Aspidelaps lubricus lubricus
Geckos and other lizards
Pachydactylus purcelli



Lifestyle of Opistophthalmus karrooensis:

Opistophthalmus karrooensis males seem to be rare in comparison to the females. Medium sized populations of mostly females and juveniles were observed under rocks, but males are more difficult to find.
It's different at the night - just a few males and some juveniles, but no adult females were observed outside their burrows.
They don´t build deep burrows like for example Opistophthalmus pictus, but will build small burrows (maximum of 10cm deep) directly under medium to big sized flat rocks. They seem to occur just under bright rocks - under black rocks they were not found.
The conditions in their burrows are very hot and dry . For molting and giving birth they like temperatures about 35°C and don´t need a lot of humidity. Gravid females prefered flat rocks at plain areas in direct sunlight.  They give birth around January to circa 30 juveniles.