COOL SPECIFICS ABOUT SCORPIONS

SIMILARLY TO COCKROACHES, SCORPIONS ARE GREAT

AT REFLECTING RADIATION, WHICH MAKES THEIR

CHANCES OF SURVIVING A NUCLEAR ATTACK MUCH

HIGHER THAN THAT OF MOST OTHER ANIMAL SPECIES

SCORPIONS ALWAYS TRY TO SUBDUE THEIR PREY

MECHANICALLY WITH THEIR PINCERS, SAVING THEIR

STINGERS ONLY FOR A LAST RESORT BECAUSE IT CAN

TAKE UP TO A WEEK OR MORE TO GENERATE A

NEW VENOM SUPPLY

COLLOQUIALLY KNOWN AS THE DEATH STALKER, THE

ISRAELI YELLOW SCORPION IS CONSIDERED THE MOST

DANGEROUS SCORPION SPECIES. ITS STING IS

EXCEPTIONALLY PAINFUL AND IT CAN KILL AN ADULT MAN

SCORPIONS ARE USED IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL

INDUSTRY. IN PAKISTAN, FOR EXAMPLE, FARMERS IN

THE THATTA DISTRICT ARE PAID ABOUT US$100 FOR

EACH 40 GRAM SCORPION. 60 GRAM SPECIMENS ARE

REPORTED TO FETCH AT LEAST US$50,000.

THE TRADE IS ILLEGAL THOUGH

IN SOME PARTS OF CHINA, FRIED SCORPIONS IS A

TRADITIONAL DISH. IN CHINESE MEDICINE, SCORPION

WINE IS EVEN USED AS AN ANALGESIC AND ANTIDOTE

TO REACH ITS ADULT SIZE, A SCORPION MOULTS UP

TO 7 TIMES. DURING THE FIRST HOURS AFTER MOULTING,

THE SCORPION IS PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO AN

ATTACK AS THE NEW BODY ARMOUR TAKES SOME

TIME TO HARDEN

WHILE THE EMPEROR SCORPION IS GENERALLY

CONSIDERED THE LARGEST SCORPION SPECIES,

IT IS THE HETEROMETRUS SWAMMERDAMI SCORPION

THAT HOLDS THE ACTUAL RECORD FOR BEING THE

WORLD´S LARGEST SCORPION EVER FOUND AT 9 INCH

(23 CM). THIS SPECIES LIVES IN SRI LANKA AND INDIA

SOME SCORPION POISONS ARE 100,000 MORE

POWERFUL THAN CYANIDE. WHAT MAKES THE DEATH

RATE RELATIVELY LOW IS THE FACT THAT THE DOSE

OF VENOM INJECTED BY SCORPION IS USUALLY

VERY SMALL.