Deathstalker Scorpion

Welcome to the next installment of Shit That Can Kill You Friday's!

This week, STCKYF features the Deathstalker Scorpion.

By deathstalker I am of course referring to the deathstalker scorpion, not the 1983 film with the same name. Now I don't even have to tell you that this insect is definitely deadly... I mean come on, it's called the Deathstalker. Native to North Africa and the middle east, these guys are yet another reason to never ever go there, unless you don't mind venomous insects and terrorism. What makes them dangerous is that the deathstalker and humans like the same thing... to not be in the desert sun. When both people and deathstalkers try and occupy the same slice of shade, there's going to be a problem.

These punk rockers of the insect world are responsible for 75% of scorpion related death each year. Killing is easy for the deathstalker given the venom cocktail within their stingers. The deathstalker is armed with several toxins that it injects all at once; chlorotoxin, charybotoxin, scyllatoxin, and three types of agitoxins. These are all types of neurotoxins work together to cause anaphylaxis (serious allergic reaction), pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), comas, convulsions, paralysis and pulmonary edema. For those of you too scared to remember what a pulmonary edema is, let me explain. Fluid builds up in the lungs (note: lungs are for air exclusively, not fluid) and the victim drowns in their own fluids. (insert chills HERE).

You want to know what the best part is? Because the venom is so complex and potent, it is resistant to anti venom so they have to use A LOT of anti venom. The good news is, if you are ever unfortunate enough to run into and get stung by a deathstalker scorpion, the United States has a large stash of the anti venom, all thanks to the Gulf War.

"But Charles, I'm never going to the middle east because I don't want to be executed on YouTube. Why would I worry about running into a deathstalker?" Jerry, you ignorant slut!  Even though it is illegal to own a deathstalker (except for zoos) people smuggle them into the United States all the time. Because people are DUMB. Having one of these in your home is like having a hand grenade with the pun pulled 99% of the way out lying on your coffee table. NOT SMART. But stupid is as stupid does, I guess.

This week I'd like to end on a lighter note because I happened across a really cool tid bit while doing my research. Peptide chlorotoxin, one of the many toxins in the deathstalker's venom, is actually might have a light side. The toxin is being studied in the treatment of brain tumors. Another unnamed venom component is being studied to help regulate insulin in diabetes treatments. Isn't that neat? That being said, leave the venom studies to the professionals and maybe think twice before reaching blindly under the couch for that pesky remote you dropped for the third time today (you're welcome for the nightmares).

And as always, stay safe you there, Jerry.

--

Charles R Mercer

Amateur Zoologist

Eastern Diamond Back Rattlesnake

Welcome to the next installment of Shit That Can Kill You Friday's!

This week STCKYF features the eastern diamond back rattlesnake.

Native to the southeast united states (that's right folks, it lives among us), the eastern diamond back is the largest rattlesnake in the world. They are known for their signature striking pose, where they lift their body off the ground to maximize their striking distance. Though they are not known to be aggressive, when provoked they will strike and it is common for them to strike multiple times. Their striking distance is roughly 1/3 of their body length, so don't get too close.

Science nerds call the amount of venom injected into the prey when the snake strikes the "venom yield". The venom yield of the eastern diamond back is 400-450mg on average but it can be as high as 1000mg. here's the kicker, it only takes 100-150mg of venom to kill a person. They're not just going to kill you, they're going to kill you several times over. Plus their fangs are the largest of any rattle snake species in proportion to their body length. An 8ft eastern diamondback has fangs that are over 1in long!

The venom they inject contains a nasty enzyme called "crotalase". This stuff causes blood to clot, hemolysis of red blood cells, muscle mobility loss and cardiac failure. One case described the symptoms of a bite "like two hot hypodermic needles... spontaneous bleeding from the bite site, intense internal pain, bleeding from the mouth, hypotension, weak pulse, swelling, and strongly hemorrhagic". To those of you who might not know "hemorrhagic" means it can cause hemorrhages (I had to google that). Personally I'm not a fan of the "hot needles" description. I guarantee the next time I have to get a shot this is definitely going to cross my mind. That's some super scary stuff.

Fun Fact: The only time I've ever seen an eastern diamondback rattlesnake was on a backpacking trip with Dad. I walked right up to it not knowing death was sitting four feet from me. To strike me from 4 ft, the snake would need to be roughly 12 ft long. But even for a 6 ft snake, 4 feet is too close for comfort. Dad saw the snake and nearly had a heart attack because his favorite child was so close to one of nature's murderers. As bullets of sweat dripped off his face, Dad tried to warn me about the snake as calmly as he could....

Turns out the snake was dead (lucky me!) so I pulled out my handy dandy Bear Grylls Knife and cut off its rattle to keep as a souvenir to forever remind me of my brush with death. True Story.

This one lives in our neck of the woods so I extra mean it this week: Stay safe out there.

--

Charles R Mercer

Amateur Zoologist

Cassowary

Welcome to the next installment of Shit That Can Kill You Friday's!

This week we take to the skies to learn about a flightless bird, the Cassowary.

Cassowaries are native to New Guinea and (of course) Australia. Long time readers of STCKYF know that this is yet another reason to NEVER go to Australia. Everything there is deadly... I bet the air is even toxic. Anyway, Cassowaries grow to be 5-6 ft tall and weighing in at 130 pounds. These guys are BIG.

Because they can't fly, evolution has done so scary stuff to the Cassowary's wings. The bones on what would be the 2nd finger have evolved to be more like a claw. A CLAW. ON A BIRD'S WING. But it doesn't need this claw to inflict damage. The Cassowary has powerful legs, each with three sharp toes that have dagger like claws. Like most flightless birds, kicking is the Cassowary's main form of defense, so a kick will bring the victim in contact with those dagger like claws, cutting them to shreds.

"But wait, Charles, it's just a bird, I can escape and evade can't I?" Ha! You Fool! The Cassowary can run as fast as 31 mph, it can jump 5 ft in the air, and it is an excellent swimmer. There is no escape. Like Liam Neeson, it will find you, and it will kill you.

Let's get into their relationship with humans. A 2003 study revealed 150 attacks on humans. 75% of these attacks involved the Cassowary expecting food from the person. When they didn't get food, they went ballistic. Cassowary's must get super hangry, which I can relate to. I also get pretty hangry, but I don't kill people because of it... so maybe its not the best comparison.

The best story I found of a Cassowary attack occurred in 2012 when a tourist was Sparta Kicked off a ledge into a body of water. The tourist was ok, despite the bird making him its little bitch. Whoever they were, they were lucky to not get cut open by the bird's razor sharp claws. Come to think of it, Napoleon Dynamite should've been less concerned about whether or not chickens have large talons and more concerned about a hangry Cassowary murdering him for his tater tots.

Stay safe out there.

-- Charles R Mercer

Amateur Zoologist