Scorpions mate through a complex and ritualistic courtship dance known as the "promenade à deux." Here's how the process typically unfolds:

• First, the male scorpion locates a receptive female by detecting pheromones with his specialized sensory organs.
• To begin courtship, the male and female grasp each other's pincers (pedipalps) and start a "dance." The male moves back and forth producing ground vibrations, and they move around facing each other.
• The male attempts to find a suitable spot on the ground to deposit his spermatophore, which is a packet containing sperm.
• During this dance, the male may perform behaviors like a "cheliceral kiss" (grasping mouthparts with the female), an "upright tree" posture (rubbing tails together), and sometimes "sexual stinging" to subdue or pacify the female.
• Once the spermatophore is deposited on a stable surface, the male guides the female over it so that her genital opening picks up the sperm.
• Fertilization occurs internally, and a mating plug may form in the female to prevent further matings until after birth.
• The courtship and mating can last from a few minutes to over half an hour, and afterward, the male and female separate abruptly.
• Sexual cannibalism is rare but can occur in some cases where the female might attack and eat the male after mating.

Scorpions do not have penetrative sex like mammals; instead, sperm transfer occurs through this external spermatophore that the female takes up. The entire courtship is delicate and involves careful positioning and signaling to avoid the female becoming aggressive, as she may mistake the male for prey. After mating, the female eventually gives birth to live young, which she carries on her back until their first molt.