Where It’s Harvested

In Turkey, a unique farm houses 20,000 live scorpions and employs a dozen workers. If you were to take on the role of a "milker," your day would begin by teaming up with a colleague for safety.

Working together, you would carefully extract tiny droplets of venom from a set number of scorpions. This job is precarious; scorpions rank among the top five deadliest creatures. To extract venom, workers use rubber tongs to trigger the scorpion's defense mechanism.

The apparatus in the background is designed to deliver a mild electrical shock to the scorpion, prompting it to release its venom without harm.

Why Scorpion Venom Matters

Understanding the value of this venom is crucial. It contains neurotoxins that inhibit ion channels, a mechanism shared by several pharmaceuticals on the market. Additionally, scorpion venom is essential in producing costly anti-venoms that have a short shelf life. Each scorpion yields about 2 milligrams of venom daily, which totals only 2 grams for an entire farm.

The venom finds applications in cosmetics and pain relief products. After collection, it is typically frozen or processed into powder and shipped internationally. The Turkish facility breeds its own scorpions to avoid the tedious task of wild collection, benefiting from the scorpions' high reproduction rates.

A gallon of this venom can be valued at over $37 million. Although that amount is tempting, starting a scorpion farm is not feasible for me, primarily because both my girlfriend and I have a fear of such critters. The process of milking scorpions is perilous, and anti-venom is always on hand at these facilities.

Other Unusual Farms

One of the most bizarre types of farming involves horseshoe crab blood. This blood is harvested before the crabs are returned to the ocean.

The blood possesses unique properties, allowing it to detect minute traces of bacteria and encapsulate them in clots. Pharmaceutical companies rely on this for contamination testing, making it a critical component of drug safety.

Interestingly, every clinical drug undergoes this testing process, leading to a massive market for horseshoe crab blood farms, which are prevalent both domestically and internationally.

Despite the financial rewards, it’s disheartening to consider the stress imposed on these ancient creatures, referred to as "living fossils," which have existed for over 445 million years.

Another example of peculiar revenue generation involves fishermen in Yemen who discovered 280 lbs of whale vomit, selling it for $1.5 million. This substance, known as ambergris, is highly sought after for its use in perfumes, enhancing their longevity.

The fishermen stumbled upon a whale carcass while fishing, its strong odor hinting at the presence of ambergris inside, resulting in considerable wealth for them.

The Conclusion

This world is filled with unexpected and unusual professions. While scorpions may seem intimidating, only about 30 of the 1,500 species are lethal. Approach the idea of starting a scorpion farm with caution.

This wraps up another intriguing article by Sean.

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