A Shocking Slate Story with a Sting in the Tale

A SOUTH WEST roofing team got the shock of their lives when they opened a box of Brazilian slates.

Hiding amongst the slates was the highly poisonous Brazilian yellow scorpion.

The deadly arachnid had been imported with the slate from South America to Plymouth, stowed away within the pallet of slates.

Shocking Slate

“It got the adrenaline flowing, but I couldn’t kill it, no way,” said Jamie Cooke, who is the owner of Ocean City Roofing Ltd in Plymouth.

It was Jamie’s brother, Ben Cooke who first discovered the lethal scorpion while unpacking the pallet of around 600 slates during a roofing job in Derriford.

Ben related his shock encounter: “It’s a crazy little thing. It was moving around the box. It was the sixth pallet we opened and we saw it inside.

“We got it onto the edge of a slate and then knocked it into a tub we use for nails. We did some research online and saw it was among the most dangerous scorpions.”

Brazilian Yellow Scorpion

The Brazilian yellow scorpion, scientifically named Tityus serrulatus, is South America’s most deadly scorpion. Its sting attacks the nervous system and can cause death in 1-14 hours.

Living in rubbish and sewers, the Brazilian yellow scorpion is responsible for more deaths in South America than snakes and spiders combined. A study in 2014 found that almost half a million poisonous stings were recorded in 12 years and 800 deaths.

Packing its toxic sting in the tail, the scorpion’s size surprised Jamie, as Plymouth Live reports.

“It was only about one and a half inches long. If it was a bit bigger we’d have been worried. I think it was a young one, it hadn’t grown to its full potential yet.”

Brazilian Slate

Jamie reflected on the long crossing that the scorpion must have made across the Atlantic Ocean from Brazil with the slates. He said, “They are very common in Brazil and can go without food for months, that is how it survived for all this time. It’s probably been sitting in a merchants for a while too.”

The scorpion has now been found a more suitable home at Plymouth Reptile and Aquatic. Jamie added: “They said it needed a bit of heat on it right away. We’ll all go and see it in a few days.”

Wary of any further deadly slate surprises, Jamie ends: “I’m now going back to the site to move the rest of the slate. We have another couple of pallets being delivered next week. He hopes the tale ends there.”

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