Only one death from the Arizona bark scorpion (C. sculpturatus) has been reported since 1964. Children and older people are at the highest risk of morbidity and mortality. Although these recently discovered scorpion species are venomous, the well-documented Arizona bark scorpion is probably the only species in the United States that is capable of causing life-threatening bites to humans. The pain of a sting from an Arizona barking scorpion has been compared to the impact of lightning or electrical current.
The excessive disparity between the death rate of barked scorpions in Mexico and the United States is due in part to the lack of medical facilities in large and densely populated areas of Mexico. While this may be hard to believe, new species of scorpions are frequently discovered around the world, including in Arizona. You can also find bark scorpions trapped in bathtubs or sinks, inside dark closets, or hidden in small nooks and crannies all over the house. While it is true that the Arizona bark scorpion has a potentially deadly poison, there are several other scorpion species that produce more potent forms of venom than this American species.
Didi Ghelmegeanu explains that people encounter these scorpions during the day when their hiding place is accidentally altered. This clearly indicates that Arizona bark scorpions continue to be a major public health threat in their native region, but deaths are rare today due to the advent of the anti-venine, which is often mistakenly referred to as “anti-venom”. Antivinin is a medical treatment that can save the lives of those who suffer from stings caused by Arizona bark scorpions, and all hospitals and medical clinics in the state store large quantities of anti-venins. Didi and Megan Ghelmegeanu own Desert Termites and get a lot of calls about managing Arizona crust scorpions every summer.
In fact, the bark scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda) is the only scorpion species with a venom strong enough to cause severe symptoms in the entire United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. While the number of medically significant cases of bark scorpion stings that occur each year ranges from thousands in both Arizona and Mexico, Mexico has a much higher number of deaths from a barking scorpion sting than in Arizona and other southwestern states. Barked scorpions have long, thin, and smaller claws because their venom is stronger than that of other scorpions.
