Indian yellow-legged forest scorpion (likely)

Moist soil, leaf litter, under bark and stones in forests, plantations, and gardens across parts of India. The photograph’s tropical Indian setting is plausible for this group, though exact species identification requires locality and close examination.

Predatory; eats insects, spiders, other arthropods, and occasionally small vertebrates, usually subduing prey with the pincers and venomous sting.

Mostly nocturnal and secretive, sheltering in crevices or shallow burrows by day; it may emerge during warm, humid August mornings or after overnight activity. Females give birth to live young, which ride on the mother’s back until their first molt.

Usually not medically dangerous, but the sting can be painful and cause local swelling; avoid handling. It benefits ecosystems by controlling arthropod populations. The orange legs and dark body fit Heterometrus, but the image is insufficient to confirm H. fulvipes versus related Indian species.