Venomous stingers, clawing pincers, spindly legs, and up to twelve eyes—for some, scorpions are the subjects of nightmares. In fables and folklore, they are nefarious creatures. The Ancient Greeks named the zodiacal constellation scorpius (or scorpio) for the scorpion said to have slain the heroic hunter Orion, forever immortalized chasing him across the night sky. And while certainly capable of causing pain, real-life scorpions also possess a few surprises.

While commonly thought of as insects, scorpions are arachnids. Insects only possess six limbs, whereas scorpions have eight legs as well as their two pincers. And they have crawled this Earth far longer than we have. In fact, the recent discovery of a 437 million year-old scorpion fossil has led scientists to believe that this was the first creature ever to emerge from the ocean and dwell on land. (For comparison, modern humans only evolved around 300,000 years ago.) As much as we view them as harbingers of death, scorpions ushered in a new era of life.

Scorpions are survivors. They can be found in all kinds of harsh habitats, from deserts and rainforests to snow-covered mountains and deep caves. They typically feast on insects, but have developed inventive ways of eating small rodents and lizards; they secrete digestive fluids that liquify soft flesh and then devour their prey in pieces. And when food is scarce, they are able to slow their metabolism down, requiring them to need little oxygen and even one meal per year. Scientists have even frozen scorpions overnight, only to watch them unthaw and crawl away unscathed the next day.

There are around 2,000 known species of scorpions, each with toxins specialized to suit its lifestyle that it can inject in controlled amounts through its stinger. And while all are venomous, only between 30 and 40 species can kill a person. The deadliest, the deathstalker, produces a potent cocktail of neurotoxins so rare it’s considered to be the most valuable liquid in the world at $39 million per gallon. Like many other lethal poisons found in nature, it can also be used for healing; it’s sought after for use in treating cancer, malaria, and tuberculosis.

Scorpions participate in elegant courtship rituals—a macabre waltz known as the promenade à deux. Males will grasp females and sway back and forth in a dancelike motion, their tails curled above their backs. This choreography allows the male to find a smooth surface to deposit his spermatophore, which the female then takes. They may even “kiss,” grasping one another’s mouth-parts as they sway. Scorpions are also rare among arachnids in that mothers birth live young and nurture them; babies spend their first weeks safely nestled on their mother’s back.

As nocturnal animals, scorpions are most alive in the night. Perhaps most striking of all their unusual traits is that they glow in the dark when cast in ultraviolet light. This greenish-blue illumination is caused by fluorescent chemicals on their exoskeletons. It’s still a mystery why this occurs, but scientists think it could be to help protect them from harsh sunlight, hunt, or even to find each other in the dark. Under a moonless sky, they can be spotted as far as 33 feet away.

There is so much pain in the world right now, so much poison. Endless temptation to turn away, avert our eyes and hide. More than ever, people seem poised to lash out at one another. But there is also tenderness to be found, even in the most unlikely sources and harshest environments. A soft glow, dancing in the dark—life and death, two tails forever intertwined. I don’t want to numb myself, to miss this aliveness. I want to be here, while I’m here. Even when it stings.