Giant Forest Scorpion or Heterometrus Swammerdami is the largest scorpion species. It can be more than 20cm long and weigh about 56g. Its venom is not usually deadly to humans because it kills its prey by crushing it with its pincers and not by its venom. It sting causes pain, inflammation, swelling and redness of the skin which will last for hours to a few days.
It can be found in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, India and China. It lives in subtropical to tropical forest. Most of them are nocturnal and live in the burrows, below logs, rocks and leaf litter. It is dark in colour. It is either brown or black or greenish shine. The last segment of its body is brightly coloured. It lives for about 7 to 8 years. It has 8 legs and powerful pedipalp pincers. It eats small insects like crickets. It is a popular pet for scorpion lovers.