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Well known for their distinctive shape with pincers in the front and curved tail with a sting in the back, scorpions are easy to recognize. They are classified as arachnids, as they have eight legs, including pincers. With about 2,000 species, scorpions are widespread throughout the world and are found on all continents except Antarctica, but although they are highly adaptable species and can live in most environments, the desert remains their preferred habitat. Most scorpions are quite small, with an average length of 6 cm (2 inches), but there are some that turn out to be exceptions and are far above average.
Here are the 10 largest scorpions in length.
# 10: Deathstalker
First on our list is the death catcher scorpion, also sometimes known as the yellow scorpion, which can grow up to 4 inches in length. The Deathstalker is commonly found in the desert regions of North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of India and is light yellow in color, hence its other name. With its lightning-fast bite, the Death Hunter is known as the world’s most venomous scorpion as it produces powerful neurotoxins. However, despite the daunting name, a bite from a single person would usually only be fatal to the elderly and children, with most healthy adults experiencing severe pain and numbness only in the affected area.
# 9 Biggest Scorpion: Florida cow scorpion.
Little more than a death catcher, this is a Florida bark scorpion that can grow to a maximum length of 4.7 inches. Also known as the brown scorpion or thin bark scorpion, it is commonly found in parts of North and Central America, including Florida, Mexico, Ecuador, and Jamaica, and is also found in Cameroon and the Canary Islands. The Florida bark scorpion is light brown in color, with lighter legs and yellow lines on the back. As the name suggests, they like to live in the bark of trees, as well as under rocks, where they usually spend the day before going out to hunt small insects at night. Although they are good hunters, their main predators are tarantulas, which usually kill them even when the scorpion uses its sting for protection.
# 8 Biggest Scorpion: Vietnam Forest Scorpion
Vietnamese forest scorpions are completely black in color and can grow up to 4.7 inches in length. Found in Vietnam and nearby Laos, they prefer a damp place in the forest, so they can hide on the forest floor under leaves and logs while awaiting prey. Although they are carnivores like all other scorpions, Vietnamese forest scorpions are not exactly picky about what they eat as they are known to eat other scorpions if someone wanders along their path, often reacting extremely aggressively. Despite their propensity for violence, their venom is actually used to treat people suffering from infections like pneumonia, and in Vietnam they are eaten and used as an ingredient in wine.
# 7 Biggest scorpion: Tanzanian scorpion with red claws
Externally similar to the imperial scorpion, the Tanzanian scorpion with red claws has a black body and pincers with a slightly red tint. Reaching up to 5 inches in size, they are fairly large scorpions that can be quite aggressive when disturbed, although they only produce mild venom when compared to other species. The red-clawed Tanzanian scorpion prefers to live under rocks and logs and is found in the tropical forests of Tanzania.
6. The largest scorpion: Transvaal fat-tailed scorpion.
The Transvaal fat-tailed scorpion, sometimes referred to as the South African fat-tailed scorpion, is a special type of scorpion that is easily recognizable due to the extremely thick tail that gave it its name. They are dark brown in color and can grow up to about 5.5 inches. They prefer a desert habitat, where they are commonly found under rocks and are widespread in parts of Africa, including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa. The fat-tailed transvaal scorpion is known as one of the most venomous scorpions in Africa and feeds on a variety of insects, spiders, reptiles and amphibians. It is also particularly unique as it scratches the sting along the back, creating a sound that acts as a warning sign.
# 5 Biggest Scorpion: Malaysian Forest Scorpion.
Closely related to both the emperor and the giant wood scorpion, the Malaysian wood scorpion is completely black and can grow to about 6.3 inches. Found mainly in the rainforests of Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, these scorpions often burrow in the ground or under logs. Although they regularly eat insects such as crickets and sometimes mice, the Malaysian forest scorpion can go without food for long periods of time when food is scarce. However, when faced with food, they become capable hunters and react aggressively with their sting if they feel threatened.
# 4 Biggest Scorpion: Giant Hairy Scorpion
Also known as the giant hairy desert scorpion and the Arizona hairy scorpion, these are the largest scorpions in North America, often reaching 6.7 inches in length. The giant hairy scorpion is widespread in the desert regions of Arizona, California, Utah, and Nevada. They have a distinctive color – usually with green backs and yellow legs – and they get their name from the hairs they have on their tails and legs. Due to their large size, they are very good hunters and often eat snakes and lizards and even the giant desert centipedes found in Arizona.
# 3 Biggest Scorpio: Imperial Scorpio
At the top of our list is the emperor scorpion, which measures 7.9 inches in length. Native to West Africa, the imperial scorpion prefers rainforests, but is occasionally found in savannas. Although it is often confused with the Malaysian forest scorpion and the Tanzanian red-clawed scorpion due to its similar black color and red claws, the emperor is much larger than the other two species. However, despite their size, they are actually a fairly docile species of scorpions that do not act aggressively and only have mild venom, making them a popular exotic pet. When hunting, they often simply use their large pincers to grab and crush their prey.
# 2 Biggest Scorpion: Rock Scorpion
In second place is the rock scorpion, which is found in South Africa and, as the name suggests, lives on rocks. Its length is 8.25 inches. It is also sometimes called the flat-rock scorpion as it has a flat body that allows it to squeeze into small gaps between stones. Rock scorpions are dark brown in color with lighter ridges on the back. Their tail is much thinner than that of other scorpions, which also makes them easy to recognize. Despite their size, their venom is relatively weak and feels like a bee sting.
# 1 Biggest Scorpion: Giant Forest Scorpion
The largest scorpion in the world is a giant forest scorpion with a whopping 9.1 inches in length and weighing about 2 ounces. Widespread in the tropical rainforests of Asia, especially India and Sri Lanka, these giants are black or sometimes dark brown and eat a variety of insects, lizards, reptiles, and other scorpions. Despite their imposing size, they have mild venom, are not particularly dangerous or aggressive, and they use their sting only as a last resort when threatened. When hunting, they usually catch their prey with large pincers before ripping it apart. Giant forest scorpions are also extremely solitary animals and only when they mate with another scorpion.
Bonus: the biggest scorpion ever to roam the Earth!
The largest scorpion ever to live on Earth has been named the giant sea scorpion (Pterygid eurypteride), and reached over 8 feet in length!
Sea scorpions were very different from modern scorpions! First, he lived almost 400 million years ago. Second, they hunted on the seabed, while modern scorpions live on land and mostly in deserts. It is believed that sea scorpions, due to their larger size, are approximately thousand times more than today’s land scorpions! With such an incredible size, they could hunt fish that weighed over 100 pounds.
Due to their large size, sea scorpions were the top predators during the Devonian era. However, they could not survive a major extinction and disappeared from the fossil record about 252 million years ago.
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