Every KIND Of SCORPION Explained In 4 Minutes

[00:00:00]Emperor scorpion. If you ask someone to draw a scorpion, they're going to draw this one. It's huge, pitch black, and honestly looks like something out of a horror movie. They can grow up to 8 in long, which is massive for a bug. But here's the kicker. Despite looking like a soul crusher, its sting is actually pretty weak. Most people say it's basically like a bee sting. This guy decided to put all its XP points into physical strength instead of poison. It has these giant heavy-duty claws that just crush whatever it catches. It doesn't even bother using the stinger half the time because the claws do all the dirty work. Also, forget the desert.

[00:00:43]These guys actually live in the humid muddy rainforests of West Africa.

[00:00:48]Deathstalker.

[00:00:49]This one has the scariest name in the business, but if you saw one, you'd probably think it was just a harmless little house spider. It's small, pale, and looks almost fragile. But that's exactly why it's so dangerous. It's easy to miss until you've already stepped on it. They love hanging out near houses in the Middle East, hiding under rocks or in cracks in the wall. While a healthy adult will probably just have the worst day of their life if they get stung, for kids or the elderly, it's a life or death situation. But get this.

[00:01:22]Scientists are actually using the venom from the deathstalker to help find cancer cells in the human body. It's a weird irony. One of the deadliest things on the planet might end up saving your life.

[00:01:34]Arizona bark scorpion. In the US Southwest, this is the one that keeps people up at night. It's thin and almost see-through, so it blends into everything. Unlike most scorpions that stay on the ground, these guys are climbers. They'll go up walls, across ceilings, and this is the part that'll make your skin crawl. They love hiding in shoes, towels, or piles of laundry.

[00:01:59]Because they're social, if you find one, there's a good chance 20 of its friends are huddling together nearby for warmth.

[00:02:06]It's the only scorpion in the states that can actually kill you. And because they love living where we live, stings happen all the time. Always shake out your boots in Arizona. Spitting thick-tailed scorpion. This scorpion basically broke the rules of how we thought these animals worked. Down in Southern Africa, the spitting thick-tailed doesn't just wait for you to get close so it can sting you. If it feels cornered, it can actually spray its venom like a mist. It's not quite as accurate as a cobra, but if that stuff gets in your eyes or even on your skin, you're in for a world of pain. What's even weirder is that it has a two-stage venom system. The first squeeze is a diluted warning shot to tell you to back off. If you don't listen, the next shot is the concentrated high-potency stuff.

[00:02:56]It's literally a bug with a warning siren and a secondary weapon.

[00:03:00]Fat-tailed scorpion. The name for this genus, Androctonus, literally translates to man-killer. They didn't stutter when they named it. You can tell it's dangerous just by looking at the tail.

[00:03:13]It's thick and heavy because it's carrying a massive supply of some of the most toxic venom on Earth. They live in dry, sandy areas where people often sleep on the floor or wear sandals, which is a recipe for disaster. These things aren't hunting humans, but they're fast. They deliver their venom so quickly that if you don't have antivenom nearby, you're in serious trouble. They've been living alongside humans for thousands of years, and unfortunately, they're responsible for more deaths than almost any other scorpion.

[00:03:47]Flat rock scorpion. This is my personal favorite because it's so specialized.

[00:03:52]Most scorpions are built for the open, but this one is almost comically flat.

[00:03:57]It looks like someone stepped on a regular scorpion and it just kept living. It's built that way so it can slide into tiny cracks in rocks where predators can't reach it. Because it's so safe in its little rock fortress, it actually stopped caring about being dangerous. Its venom is super weak and its tail is tiny because it doesn't need them. It just slides into a crack that's only a few millimeters wide and waits.

[00:04:23]It's a master of hide and seek that traded its weapons for the ultimate suit of armor, the earth itself.