DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME...pic...

[Phillip]

I repeat DO NOT TRY THIS This is a very dangerous species and care should always be taken when dealing with them. Also I feel that it is worth noting that I do not take these or any hot Scorps lightly by any means nor do I endorse or encourage anyone to try this as it is flat out dangerous and not a good idea.

What inspired me to shoot this pic was the Ballsy thread from a couple of days ago. I mainly wanted to point out that these are not evil monsters waiting for the opportunity to tag you whenever they get a chance but rather they are shy creatures that really just want to be left alone. Also when handled properly the risk is at a minimum it really takes steady hands and commitment to not let go or barely grab it as this will get you hurt badly.

Again folks please do not try this as this was not meant to inspire someone to take an unneccesary risk but to simply show another side of the animal as well as to dispell any belief that one must have superhuman abilities to accomplish this feat.

One of my P transvaalicus being held by yours truly. Enjoy I know the rush was good for me.

Phil

 

[chau0046]

Psycho!!


I`ll let my H. Arizonensis crawl on my arm,,,,but i wont even grab that by the tail. Good job. I bet your heart just about thumped right out of your chest gabbin that badboy!!:? :?

Mat

That`s pretty heavy...man.

 

[chau0046]

And you didn`t have anything to catch it in if it fell out of your hand. Man if that got loose in your house.


I take my hat off to El Senor BALLSY!!

Mat

 

[Phillip]

actually...

It's not in my house it's in my snake/spider building so there is no risk to anyone but myself. And my hand is resting on a chair so the pic wouldn't blur had I let go it would have simply walked on the chair with nowhere to go and worst case took a drop to the floor but my tweezers were close by just not visible in the shot. The scorp in question didn't really even try to get loose however. Overall there was far less struggling than I expected right before grabbing it. As for the thumping heart not really but then again I would never try anything like that unless I was calm with it and comfortable in my ability to do so. Kind of like handling a pede you have to be really calm to avoid upsetting them.

Phil

 

[Sean]

yeah, ballsy hats off to you man, i wouldnt be caught dead doing that though

 

[Phillip]

Same story different scorp...

A bicolor Again I know I've gone over this but please don't try this folks. As a matter of fact I think this species is even hotter than the 1st going by memory. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on this as I don't have the hot scorp page in front of me right now. I was just going through feeding and though I would knock them all out at once. I was going to get the australis as well but both are possibly gravid and going ballistic when touched so I'm not going to bother them. The dissappointing thing while doing this was the transvaalicus stil not spitting. I just can not get these things to spit for the life of me. Oh well enjoy the bicolor.

Phil

 

[whoami?]

Question. What do you do if you get stung? Is there antivenom for those scorpions? If so, is it available in the US? How much would it cost? Would an American doctor treat a sting from one of those species the same as he/she would treat a sting from something like a C. exilicauda?

 

[Phillip]

I have heard that there is antivenin..

I am however not too sure on the validity of that statement though so someone who is more into scorps will have to answer that one. As far as what to do if you get stung... well in my state it's a pretty safe bet that there isn't any antivenin so the deal is pretty simple. Don't get stung. I have heard of stings that were not much more than pain but the potential to kill you is certainly there. I have no plans to test how hot they are however and the potential for death is why I stress not to try this. I have been keeping these species for quite some time now and have become used to what sets them off so I feel pretty sure of what I can get away with and what not to try. Pretty much if you touch the back or put your hand in front of them you are going to get tagged. The way I am holding them they can't sting you as the stinging parts are secured. As far as just setting them on the hand and releasing them it can be done but it's trickier and the risk is higher by far. That said they don't really try to sting what they are walking on rather they sting the percieved threat coming towards or down on them.

Phil

 

[chau0046]

Sweet Info!!

Just absorbing this stuff...

Mat

Not that i`m going to try this or anything.:?

 

[skinheaddave]

If I remember correctly, they were trying to develop an antivenom for C.exilicauda. It really isn't an antivenom in the traditional sense, though, since scorpion venom is different from snake venom or whatnot. Anyhow, last I heard it was experimental and basically you are out of luck. If stung by a nasty, nasty scorpion you should still proceed to hospital, however, as they can probably keep you alive long enough for your body to take care of the venom.

Cheers,
Dave

P.S. I'm not a doctor and I haven't even read anything on this subject for the better part of a year. Take what I have said with a HUGE grain of salt (or scorpion pre-venom, if you prefer).

 

[Richard_uk]

I have never been happy with the whole tailing method. It just isn't secure and I certainly wouldn't try it with anything of medical significance.
On several occasions I have tailed my hadrurus, only to have him manage to struggle away, or double himself over and attempt to give me a nip with his pincers. This all happened in a blink of an eye so I let him go before realising what I had done. Fortunatley, I NEVER lift him out of his ta nk completely so he just dropped back onto the sand.

Must admit though, those are beautiful scorpions. If it wasn't illigal for me to keep them without a hugely expensive license here in the UK I would seriously be hunting down a supplier right now.
One good thing about the photo's though is I can now get a feel of what size they are. Looking at a photo of the scorpion on its todd, you never get a complete idea of how big the thing is!

 

[Gillian]

Phil,
*genuflecting*
geez, dude! Braver man than I Gunga Din..
wait! I'm not a guy!
Peace,
Gillian

 

[Wade]

I saw a very interesting talk by Dr Scott Stockwell at the first ATS conference. Dr. Stockwell is an entomolgist with the US Army, his job (if I understand it correctly) is to go to different parts of the world where troops are deployed and basically explain what bugs they do and do not have to worry about. He has been stung by A. australis and other very hot scorps on numerous occasions, without seeking medical treatment. He said that nearly all people who die from scorpion stings are either very young children, very elderly, or else already very ill from some other disease. He said there is very, very little chance of an adult in resonable health dying from a scorpion sting. He did admit, however, that it is posible to become "sensitized" to the venom of a particular species, which could cause serious complications if stung again by that species.

He handled a variety of hot scorps during his presentation (including A. australis and P. tarnsvvalicus), but he metioned that he thought that people who handle T's are the ones who are nuts because while the scorp's sting is on top where you can see it, the spider's fangs are on the bottom right against the skin. Kinda makes sense, actually.

He told a very funny story about one soldier who was freaking out because he'd been stung by a scorpion. Stockwell is a sargent, so of course he has to loudly berate the hapless GI: "You call yourself a soldier? Pull your self together, maggott, and let's see the big bad bug that..." etc. etc. He goes on to pick up the scorp in question, and get's nailed. He said it was excuciatingly painful, but he had no choice but to continue, while gritting his teeth and wincing "see....doesn't...hurt...that....much..."

Wade

 

[Phillip]

actually Richard...

The fat tails have a much weaker pinch and are farr less likely to grab on and pull the tail free than say an emp or any other thick clawed species. That is why tailing them isn't that hard to do. On the flip side I was going to try it with a tri colored hisser and had to give up as it kept repeatedly pinching the crap outta me. Not sure if they are all that way but the hissers I have seem to always be in a foul mood.

Phil

 

[Sean]

Originally posted by Wade


He told a very funny story about one soldier who was freaking out because he'd been stung by a scorpion. Stockwell is a sargent, so of course he has to loudly berate the hapless GI: "You call yourself a soldier? Pull your self together, maggott, and let's see the big bad bug that..." etc. etc. He goes on to pick up the scorp in question, and get's nailed. He said it was excuciatingly painful, but he had no choice but to continue, while gritting his teeth and wincing "see....doesn't...hurt...that....much..."

Wade

That is hilarious, lol@when the dude gets nailed and is an extreme pain,but then tuffs it out so he can make the gi look like a girl, did he say what kind of scorp it was???

 

[Venom]

I'm a little confused. In your first post, you said the pic was of P. transvaalicus, but in the second picture post, you say it's an A. bicolor. Which sp. is it actually?

 

[XOskeletonRED]

The second pic, whether is the same scorp, or not, is P. trans. The angle of the pic gives better definition of the thicker pedipalps which are NOT found on A. bicolor. One of A. bicolor's ID characteristic differentiations from A. crassicauda, is that A. crassicauda's pedipalps (chela) is thicker. A. crassicauda's are a slight bit smaller than P. trans, which means that P. trans are about comparable to A. australis' pedipalp thickness, to give you a better size ratio. A. australis has thicker claws than any of the other Androctonus species scorps on the common LD-50, A. bicolor, having the most narrow.


adios,
edw. =D

 

[Phillip]

they are different scorps...

Pic one is the typical thin clawed australis looking type and the 2nd pic does indee have thicker claws. It is entirely possible that I got the 2 mixed up when shooting and labling the pics as I don't have the bicolor labled on their containers. The only thing I find odd about XOs post however is that I've tossed up pics of the 1st one which I have been calling transvaalicus for some time now and everyone seemed to think thats what they were. I am totaly open to suggestion on how to ID the 2 species however.

Phil

 

[chau0046]

Nice catch Ed!

Indeed you seem to be holding an A. bicolor in your first pick.The second pick doesn`t look to be A. bicolor or even P. trans. i`m not sure what it is . Very "bulbus ' chela.....

Mat

 

[Phillip]

heh heh...

Just did some digging around on the web and XO is dead on the money. The 1st pic is A bicolor and the second is P transvaalicus. Good eye man. Now to swap my labels around.

Phil