Scorpions are arthropods that have crawled the earth before trees, before reptiles and existed during the same age as Sharks about 430 million years of evolution.
Scorpions have adapted to harsh environments like deserts,, dense tropical rainforests and arid regions.
There are 2500 plus species which have pinchers, tail having a bulb or telson that store venom and chilacerae or mouth part. The exoskeleton is thick with hard cuticle which can withstand fangs of other arachnids.
The sting is used to paralyze prey and to defend from other large predators.
For most dangerous species.
Arabian death stalker/Shield Tailed scorpions and True death stalkers from Middle East are known for low LD50 value which translates to deadly potent venom. These are considered as Old world scorpions.
However the Indian red scorpion ( Hottentotta Tamulus ) is the most dangerous scorpion in terms of fatalities or human kills. They kill more than 2500 kill each year in Indian subcontinent alone.
They possess deadly cocktail of venom which can cause respiratory failure, Pulmonary Edema and even Cardiac failure.
The Arabian Fat Tailed scorpion and African Yellow Scorpion are as deadly as Death stalkers.
The Iranian slender tailed scorpion is a unique type of scorpion whose venom causes Necrosis and is a deadly cytotoxic venom.
In American continent, Three species are considered deadly scorpions
- Brazilian Yellow tailed scorpion
- Thick Tailed scorpion
- Arizona Bark Scorpion.
Hence the potential rank would be
- Indian Red Scorpion
- Arabian Death stalker/Shield Tailed scorpion
- True Death stalkers
- Arabian Fat tailed scorpion
- Iranian slender tailed scorpion