strike force worlds most venomous scorpion in action
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

For the first time lashing out with its stinger

Strike force: world's most venomous scorpion in action

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today Strike force: world's most venomous scorpion in action

Scorpions use their defensive arsenal against bats, snakes, lizards
Paris - Arab Today

The world's most lethal scorpion, the death stalker, has been caught on high-speed camera for the first time lashing out with its lethal stinger, scientists reported Tuesday.
A comparison of half-a-dozen scorpion species shown in ultra-slow motion revealed an unsuspected variety of strike modes, they reported in the journal Functional Ecology.
The death stalker had the fastest lunge of all, with its venomous stinger snapping over its head like a whip at 130 centimetres (51 inches) per second.
It has a no-nonsense trajectory, moving straight towards its target before flicking upward. The emperor scorpion -- the world's largest -- has a similar open strike.
Other species, such as the black spitting scorpion, which can squirt venom at a distance, and various members of the hottentotta genus, strike with a more circular motion, forming an "O".
"We found that different 'tail' shapes" -- some slim, some fatter -- "appear to permit different strike performances," said senior author Arie van der Meijden, a professor at the University of Porto in Portugal.
To record and analyse the lightning-fast strikes, van der Meijden and his team built a small platform surrounded by mirrors on all four sides.
They filmed the scorpion strikes from above with a video camera at 500 frames per second, and then created 3D models with computers.
"Just taking them out of their container and putting them in the arena was enough to get them in stinging mood," van der Meijden said.
"All that was necessary to make them strike was touching their pincers with a thin piece of wire."
Next on the research agenda is to figure out the evolutionary forces which explain why the strike patterns are so varied.
It could be "related to the kind of predators they need to defend themselves against," van der Meijden told AFP.
The differences could also arise from the fact that some scorpions rely less on their tail stingers, and more on their pincers to ward off a threat.
Scorpions use their defensive arsenal against bats, snakes, lizards and other predators.
They also use their stinger to catch prey, and during mating.
A 2008 study in the journal Acta Tropica estimated that more than 3,000 people die every year from scorpion bites.
Measuring up to 110 millimetres (4.3 inches) in length, death stalkers (Leiurus quinquestriatus) are found in dry regions of North Africa and the Middle East, where they live under rocks.
Their venom is highly dangerous for adults, and potentially lethal for children, but has been a valuable avenue for drug research.

Source: AFP

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

strike force worlds most venomous scorpion in action strike force worlds most venomous scorpion in action



GMT 15:49 2011 Friday ,10 June

Oil firm wins injunction against Greenpeace

GMT 10:27 2015 Monday ,06 July

Mini to launch ‘Clubman’ in 2016

GMT 17:21 2011 Wednesday ,23 February

Lampard Desperate To Win The Champions League

GMT 10:13 2018 Tuesday ,09 January

Barcelona to unveil 160m Coutinho

GMT 23:03 2017 Monday ,16 January

Bank of Korea: Money Production Cost Rise in 2016

GMT 20:33 2011 Friday ,06 May

Asad\'s army arrests all men over 15 in Daraa

GMT 11:55 2011 Tuesday ,29 November

Ultrabooks could save the PC

GMT 13:02 2012 Saturday ,01 September

Zombies and Morons compete

GMT 07:31 2017 Tuesday ,20 June

Sisi keen on attaining unity

GMT 11:50 2015 Saturday ,26 September

The Library of Fragrance announces January launches

GMT 06:28 2014 Saturday ,18 October

Asian Junior Volleyball tourney kicks off in Bahrain

GMT 13:31 2016 Saturday ,13 February

Greek farmers clash with police

GMT 07:40 2012 Friday ,06 July

Deeds, not words, matter the most

GMT 14:16 2016 Wednesday ,23 November

Gigi sorry for ‘racist’ Melania Trump impression

GMT 22:52 2011 Tuesday ,26 April

Nigeria prepares for parliamentary elections

GMT 20:35 2016 Tuesday ,04 October

Paris climate deal: EU backs landmark agreement

GMT 10:50 2016 Thursday ,01 September

India's Reliance announces launch

GMT 09:34 2016 Friday ,30 September

Rosetta spacecraft set for final comet crash landing

GMT 06:27 2017 Wednesday ,28 June

Rakeen Georgia ex-CEO faces trial in Georgia
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday