Tonight on VS,
it’s an all-out “arac-attack”
when the tarantula
throws down with the scorpion!
In tonight's battle,
two ancient arachnids
square off for the crown.
First,
ready to bring the sting,
it's the giant forest scorpion!
Coming into the ring with over
430 million years of street cred,
the scorpion is a living legend
among the arachnids.
Using its tough-as-nails exoskeleton,
the scorpion has its defense covered
with an impressive set of armor
made of chitin.
Chitin is incredibly resilient
and hard to puncture.
It’s a lot like keratin,
the material in your fingernails.
Measuring in at 23 cm (9 in) long,
the scorpion is an expert hunter.
Scorpions feed on insects,
spiders and other scorpions.
They’ve even taken down larger
critters like lizards and rodents.
Scorpions hunt by grabbing
and trapping their prey
with powerful pincers
before bringing in their venomous stinger.
Containing proteins
that work in harmony
to devastate the victim's
circulation and nervous systems,
scorpion venom is a deadly potion
that can immobilize struggling prey.
It sounds like the perfect weapon
to bring to this fight,
but it does come with a catch.
The scorpion doesn’t have unlimited
ammo as it can only carry
a certain amount of venom at a time.
After the scorpion stings repeatedly,
it needs time to recharge
and produce more.
This makes the scorpion hesitant to
pull out its big guns.
To defeat the tarantula,
the scorpion will have to pick
the perfect time to use its venom.
Any miscalculations
could cost it the match.
And who's taking on this armored arachnid?
It’s big.
It’s mean.
It’s the Goliath bird-eating tarantula!
With eight legs
that spread 30 cm (12 in),
the tarantula is ready to deliver
pain to its opponent.
Along with bringing some paralyzing
venom of its own,
the tarantula secretes
digestive enzymes into its prey.
We're talking about liquefaction, folks.
But that’s not all.
The tarantula
will also use the tools of its trade.
Tarantulas catch their prey
by using their silk
webbing as tripwires.
When this spider's alarm goes off,
it emerges
from its burrow for a surprise attack.
It also attacks using urticating hair.
Tarantulas can fling buckshot of tiny,
irritating hairs
to disorient their opponents.
But will it be enough to break
through the scorpion's superior armor?
There's only one way to find out.
The tiny titans are already
circling each other,
and it sounds like the tarantula
is smack-talking the scorpion.
Tarantulas can rub their fangs
together to produce a warning hiss
called stridulation.
I’m sorry, folks.
I’ve been told that the translation
is not suitable for broadcast.
Not going to let some spider
push it around,
the scorpion makes a pincer swipe.
The tarantula dodges and counters
by throwing a barrage of sharp hairs.
Disoriented,
the scorpion throws a wild tail swipe.
It's a miss.
Not to mention,
it's a bad move for the scorpion,
as it only has enough
venom for a few more strikes.
The tarantula uses its silk webbing
to immobilize the scorpion,
but the scorpion's pincers
cut through it like paper.
The scorpion doubles down
and unleashes
a barrage of pincer attacks.
Using all of its eight legs to evade
those razor-sharp pincers,
the tarantula
forgets to protect its
most vulnerable spot.
The scorpion makes its move
and swipes down,
stinging the tarantula.
Knowing it doesn’t have long
before the paralysis kicks in,
the tarantula backs off
and retreats to fight another day.
Give it up, folks!
The winner is the scorpion!
Tonight saw the tarantula get sloppy
with its defense.
Tarantulas have a weakness
in their abdomen
because the layer of chitin armor
is significantly thinner.
Would the tarantula have won
if the scorpion missed its final shot?
Well, sound off
if you want a rematch.
In the meantime,
how about more legs,
more pincers,
and all the bug action
you can handle?
Brace yourself
for bed bugs VS cockroaches.
We'll see who wins
On another round of VS.