Scorpion vs. Tarantula: Venom Scientist Explains Who Should Win

Scorpions and tarantulas are famous great arachnids exploring the Earth for hundreds of millions of years, long before dinosaurs existed.

And the debate over who would win in a fight has spawned a slew of YouTube videos, online forums, and even academic studies.

With over 900 species of tarantulas and 2,500 types of scorpions found worldwide, the winner is determined by who is in the ring. The answer is based on three factors: size, speed, and poison.

Factors and Coping Mechanisms

Science Alert said Scorpions and tarantulas do not fight regularly. But they will fight if they are fighting for habitat or food. Due to a scarcity of resources, they will turn hostile and murder one another.

Each has its own coping mechanisms and outward defenses to combat its predators and progeny. On the other hand, scorpions have tough exoskeletons that form a thick armor barrier that protects them from some attacks.

Chitin is a protein that hardens to form a shell or cover for a vulnerable area, or in the case of scorpions, their entire body. Their pincers can tear limbs apart, huge ones.

Although their exoskeletons appear to be weaker than scorpions', tarantulas can renew their arms and legs while molting. They are also naturally larger than scorpions.

Scorpions can reach a length of 22 centimeters, but tarantulas can reach a length of 30 centimeters, giving them the advantage. They also have fangs that, depending on the species, can contain a variety of venoms.

Finally, they have urticating hairs that irritate sensitive mammalian skin and eyes. Due to scorpions' thick exoskeletons, they are useless against them, but they can be an issue for other predators.

Venoms

Venom is a superweapon in the armory of scorpions and tarantulas. Scorpions inject venom through their tail stingers, while tarantulas inject through their fangs.

Venoms from spiders and scorpions are complicated mixtures including thousands of distinct chemicals that primarily attack the nervous system. Hundreds of millions of years of evolution have fine-tuned them to be quick-acting, potent, and selective, allowing them to catch their prey (typically insects) and protect themselves against predators (such as mice and birds).

Although spiders have a terrifying reputation, scorpion venoms are the ones to be concerned about. A study titled "Epidemiology of Scorpionism: A Global Appraisal," claimed that approximately one million scorpion envenomations are expected to happen per year. It results in over 3,000 fatalities worldwide.

ALSO READ: The Oldest Scorpion Fossil "Parioscorpio venator" Were Amphibian Like and Had a Respiratory System Similar to Modern Day Scorpions

As a general rule, the smaller the scorpion's pincers are, the more effective the venom is. That is according to a study titled "Choose Your Weapon: Defensive Behavior Is Associated With Morphology and Performance in Scorpions." Deathstalker scorpions have slim pincers. But their powerful venom contains neurotoxins that overexcite the nervous system. In other words, your heart is unable to adequately pump blood to vital organs such as the brain and kidneys.

Meanwhile, tarantula venom is not usually thought deadly to people, with no fatalities reported yet.

The ornamental tarantulas, located throughout Southeast Asia, are one group of tarantulas to be aware of. These brightly colored tree-dwelling tarantulas move at breakneck speed and inject massive amounts of highly strong venom, inflicting excruciating pain and muscle cramping that can linger for weeks.

Size and Speed

Because venoms are often fast-acting, whoever gets the first strike in the combat has a significant edge.

In a study titled "A 'Striking' Relationship: Scorpion Defensive Behaviour and Its Relation to Morphology and Performance," scientists discovered that a species of deathstalker scorpion could whip its tail at 128 centimeters per second in a defensive strike using high-speed footage.

While venoms have evolved as effective chemical defenses to help level the playing field for these arachnids, there's no denying that size matters in this fight. The larger the animal, the higher the venom dose necessary to have an effect on it.

Scorpions have been observed hunting smaller spiders in several investigations. The spiral burrow scorpion (Isometroides vescus) hunts burrow-dwelling spiders like trapdoor spiders and wolf spiders in Western Australia.

However, as the spiders grow in size, the tables are turned. Some tarantulas have noted scorpion predators.

Similarities

Spiders and scorpions, according to Orkin, are two of the world's most dreaded critters. The cephalothorax and the abdomen are two body parts they share. Both develop in stages, starting with eggs that hatch into miniature copies of adults who molt and become larger. Their growth and development rates differ.

Their daily routines and personalities are strikingly similar. Both are predators who seek and eat other animals like insects.

Overall, the combatants' size, speed, and venom all play a role in the arachnid war, but experts recommend Scorpions since they have a superior defense.