Deathstalker, Negev desert, Israel. Photo: Ester Inbar.

A 21-year-old soldier from Yitzhar, Israel, was been stung by a poisonous yellow scorpion known as the “deathstalker” that had hidden in his jeans according Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahranot. David Ben Avraham, a married man and new father, was brought to the Rabin Medical Center where his wound was successfully treated. Luckily, he suffered no allergic reaction, just a slight swelling and pain in his leg.

Ben Avraham told the Israeli daily that he put on his jeans yesterday morning, and then felt a sharp pain in his leg. As the pain became more intense, he removed the pants and discovered the scorpion.

“It was very painful for me, but I was able to get up like normal,” he said in Hebrew. “It became apparent that I wasn’t allergic to scorpions. I wasn’t swollen but I did feel sprains in my muscles… I am not alarmed by scorpions and am still not, but now I need to be more careful.”

The deathstalker, otherwise known as the “Israeli desert scorpion”  is found throughout Israel and the Middle East. They habituate areas with stones and populated areas also liking clean and low ground. Their sting is poisonous and can potentially be fatal.