Deathstalker

Leiurus quinquestriatus · The deathstalker is a highly venomous scorpion that lives in desert and scrubland habitats from North Africa through the Middle East.

Also called Palestine yellow scorpion, Omdurman scorpion, Naqab desert scorpion.

Deathstalker
Photo: מינוזיג, CC BY-SA 4.0
Deathstalker
Photo: Iskra.piotr, CC BY-SA 4.0
Deathstalker
Photo: Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassArachnida
OrderScorpiones
FamilyButhidae
GenusLeiurus
SpeciesLeiurus quinquestriatus

Where it lives

Deserts and dry scrub of North Africa, Arabia and the Middle East.

Fun facts

  • This scorpion is bright yellow and can grow up to 77 millimetres long, averaging about 58 mm.
  • Its venom is such a potent mix of neurotoxins that it's considered one of the most dangerous of all scorpions.
  • A sting is excruciatingly painful, yet it usually wouldn't kill a healthy adult human.
  • In the rare cases a sting is fatal, the cause of death is usually fluid buildup in the lungs, known as pulmonary edema.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).