Heterometrus swammerdami

A giant forest scorpion from the Western Ghats in Karnataka, India.

Heterometrus swammerdami, commonly called the Giant Forest Scorpion, is the world's largest scorpion species.

Its venom does not usually kill humans, because it has arguably evolved to kill its prey by crushing it with its pincers and not by venom. The subspecies H. s. titanicus lives in Sri Lanka and India. Scientists often find the giant forest scorpion in tropical rainforests and other types of moderately warm climates.