Indiana Jones used to tell her newly bitten son in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, “As far as Scorpions are concerned, the bigger the better,” adding: “The little one bites you, don’t keep it a secret.” Looks like Indiana Jones knows his stuff.
A team of researchers at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway tested this idea in a study that found that smaller scorpions with smaller pincers have stronger venom than their larger relatives. There are more than a million cases of scorpion stings and thousands of deaths each year, the university said.
The article published in the journal Toxins in March examined 36 scorpion species. “This shows that the venom of the smallest scorpions in their analysis, such as the Brazilian yellow scorpion, is 100 times more potent than the largest species in the analysis, such as the rock scorpion,” NUI Galway said in a statement on Thursday.
The most venomous scorpions had smaller claws as well as smaller bodies. “While species such as the thick-clawed scorpion can be small to medium-sized, they primarily use their large pincers instead of their relatively weak venom,” said Alannah Forde, lead author of the study and a graduate student in zoology at NUI Galway. By comparison, small-bodied, small-clawed species such as Deathstalker (Leiurus quinquestriatus) scorpions can be very dangerous, especially for children or allergy sufferers.
Understanding the connection between Scorpio size and venom power can aid medical treatments. As senior author and poison expert Michael Dugon says, “Identifying the responsible species is crucial to administering the right treatment, and the simple rule of thumb ‘bigger is better’ is the first small step towards saving lives.”
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