Brazilian problem has a sting in the tail

Forget snakes, it's scorpions Brazilians most need to worry about.

The arachnids - feared for the toxic stinger poised atop their tails - are proliferating thanks to urbanization and warming temperatures.

The result is that scorpions have become the most lethal poisonous animal in Brazil, posing a growing danger for people across the whole country - and spurring demand for antivenom.

The most widely found species, the Brazilian yellow scorpion, is the most dangerous in South America.

Unusually for scorpions, this all-female species also reproduces asexually, reducing population-control options.