Page 23 - (DK) Danger! Open with Extreme Caution!
P. 23

Bullet ant
           The pain from a South American
           bullet ant sting is likened to being
           shot with a gun. In fact, experts rate
           it among the most intense and
           excruciating sting of any insect.
           The agony lasts for three hours,
           along with nausea, cold sweats,
           and trembling. Gun it to get away!
                                                                                   Tarantula hawk wasp
                                                                                   Pregnant wasps paralyse tarantulas
                                                                                   with their stings then lay their eggs on
                                                                                   the stunned spiders. When the babies
                                                                                   hatch, they gobble up the spiders alive.
                                                                                   Tarantula hawk wasps rarely sting humans,
                                                                                   which is good news, as their sting is similar
                                                                                   to being struck by lightning. Buzz off!






                                                     Scorpion
                                                     There are thousands of scorpions, although
           Stingray                                  most are harmless to humans. However,
                                                     a few have a serious sting in their curving
           Equipped with one or more sharp
           serrated barbs on their tails,            tails. Their venom sends pain radiating from
           stingrays strike out when attacked.       the sting site throughout the body, causing
                                                     numbness, twitching, breathing problems,
           These fish spew vile venom through
           a painful puncture wound, causing         and nausea. Hightail it away!
           instant agony. Although they’re
           not aggressive to humans, they
           may sting if you step on them.













                                                     Asian giant hornet
                                                     A sting from this thumb-size beast feels like
                                                     having a hot nail driven into your skin, but
                                                     it’s the venom that really bugs you. Strong
                                                     enough to dissolve human tissue and
                                                     packed with pain-stimulating chemicals
                                                     that shoot through the nervous system,
                                                     the toxins can (and do) cause death.



                                                                                         ANIMALS THAT STING         23
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