Many people must have seen Steven Spielberg’s film “Indiana Jones” -- Dr. Indiana Jones, who walked cautiously in the jungle, told his “teammates” who were startled after being stung by a huge scorpion that the bigger the scorpion, the less toxic it is.

This movie line may reveal a scientific fact.

A study recently published in toxin by Irish researchers shows for the first time that small scorpions with small claws are more toxic than large scorpions waving strong large claws.

Researchers analyzed 36 kinds of scorpions, and the results showed that larger scorpions tend to be less toxic. The smallest scorpion in the study, such as the Brazilian yellow scorpion, is more than 100 times more toxic than the largest scorpion in the study, such as the Rock Scorpion.

In addition, the study found that the size of scorpion toxicity is not only related to body shape, but also related to the size of claws. Researchers even found venom in scorpions with the smallest claws, such as South African thick tailed scorpions, which are more than 10 times more toxic than scorpions with the largest and strongest claws.

The researchers stressed that although scorpions rely on tail stingers and pincers to capture prey and defend, there is an evolutionary trade-off between these “weapons”. Having larger pincers means less energy for chemical weapons. Therefore, larger scorpions use their own body shape to attack and defend, reducing their dependence on venom, while smaller scorpions have evolved more toxic venom.

“We found that relatively small scorpions tend to have the most powerful and dangerous lethal venom. In contrast, the venom of the largest scorpions (such as rock scorpions) may cause only mild pain.” Kevin Healy, author of the study and lecturer in zoology at national Galway University, added.

Today, scorpion sting has become a global health problem. There are more than 1 million scorpion sting cases every year, and thousands of people die. In treatment, it is very important to identify species that can sting, so rules such as “the bigger the better” can be used to assist treatment.

The research team hopes to test the above evolutionary rules to determine what makes some kinds of scorpions more toxic, so as to help develop better methods to treat scorpion stings.

“As scientists, some of our work is to test the wisdom of the public. Most of the patients hospitalized for severe scorpion stings are children under the age of 15. Determining the type of scorpion stinging is very important for correct treatment, and simple rules such as’ the bigger the better ‘are the first step to saving lives.” Michel dugon, head of the venom system laboratory at national Galway University, said.

Relevant paper information:

https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14030219

Many people must have seen Steven Spielberg’s film “Indiana Jones” -- Dr. Indiana Jones, who walked cautiously in the jungle, told his “teammates” who were startled after being stung by a huge scorpion that the bigger the scorpion, the less toxic it is.

This movie line may reveal a scientific fact.

A study recently published in toxin by Irish researchers shows for the first time that small scorpions with small claws are more toxic than large scorpions waving strong large claws.

Researchers analyzed 36 kinds of scorpions, and the results showed that larger scorpions tend to be less toxic. The smallest scorpion in the study, such as the Brazilian yellow scorpion, is more than 100 times more toxic than the largest scorpion in the study, such as the Rock Scorpion.

In addition, the study found that the size of scorpion toxicity is not only related to body shape, but also related to the size of claws. Researchers even found venom in scorpions with the smallest claws, such as South African thick tailed scorpions, which are more than 10 times more toxic than scorpions with the largest and strongest claws.

The researchers stressed that although scorpions rely on tail stingers and pincers to capture prey and defend, there is an evolutionary trade-off between these “weapons”. Having larger pincers means less energy for chemical weapons. Therefore, larger scorpions use their own body shape to attack and defend, reducing their dependence on venom, while smaller scorpions have evolved more toxic venom.

“We found that relatively small scorpions tend to have the most powerful and dangerous lethal venom. In contrast, the venom of the largest scorpions (such as rock scorpions) may cause only mild pain.” Kevin Healy, author of the study and lecturer in zoology at national Galway University, added.

Today, scorpion sting has become a global health problem. There are more than 1 million scorpion sting cases every year, and thousands of people die. In treatment, it is very important to identify species that can sting, so rules such as “the bigger the better” can be used to assist treatment.

The research team hopes to test the above evolutionary rules to determine what makes some kinds of scorpions more toxic, so as to help develop better methods to treat scorpion stings.

“As scientists, some of our work is to test the wisdom of the public. Most of the patients hospitalized for severe scorpion stings are children under the age of 15. Determining the type of scorpion stinging is very important for correct treatment, and simple rules such as’ the bigger the better ‘are the first step to saving lives.” Michel dugon, head of the venom system laboratory at national Galway University, said.

Relevant paper information:

https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14030219