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This Brilliant But Deadly creature can kill you in just two hours - from one sting alone.
And there's no antivenom available.
It's the fat-tailed scorpion.
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The ancestors of this creature were around before the dinosaurs.
Amazigly, scorpions have remained unchanged for over four hundred million years!
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They've developed one of the most deadly venoms known to man.
The venom is stored in glands in the tail - hence the name "fat tailed scorpion".
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There's a dagger-like needle on the end of the tail, which it uses to inject the venom. And just one hit is enough to kill.
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Using a specially-designed camera, it's possible to see the dagger in close-up.
It would have no problem in piercing human skin.
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It uses pincers at the front to pin down victims, before arching the fat tail forward to stab with the dagger.
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The scorpion kills many people each year, but the exact number is still not known.
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What's even creepier is that scorpions like to live alongside people. They hide in the brickwork of houses, in holes in walls. So lots of people get killed by scorpions in and around their own homes.
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The sting is hugely painful. After being stung, severe sickness follows, movement becomes hard and breathing becomes very difficult. Chances of survival after a scorpion bite are slim.
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So the key facts to remember are these.
The main risk zone for this Brilliant But Deadly creature are parts of central and northern Africa.
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Time before death - two hours or less!
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No antivenom is available, but with immediate hospital care, some people have recovered.
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And the exact number of deaths is difficult to tell.
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The fat tailed scorpion - Brilliant But Deadly!
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