Kanchana Ketkaew Lived With 5,320 Scorpions for 33 Days
Thailand’s Scorpion Queen, Kanchana Ketkaew, spent 33 days inside a glass room with 5,320 venomous scorpions.
Kanchana Ketkaew spent 33 days in a glass enclosure with 5,320 live scorpions—sleeping, eating and living while they moved around her.
33 days
Time inside
5,320
Scorpions
13
Stings reported
Becoming the Scorpion Queen
The Thai performer had already spent 32 days with scorpions in 2002. In 2009, she extended the feat to 33 days and nights inside a 12-square-metre room.
She reportedly endured 13 stings. Medical supervision, preparation and knowledge of scorpion behaviour reduced risk but could not remove it.
Skill behind the shock
Ketkaew learned how the animals react to movement, pressure and handling. Her performances—including holding a scorpion in her mouth—depended on staying controlled while an audience expected fear.
Why the record is no longer open
Guinness World Records says it no longer monitors the category because of animal-welfare concerns. That distinction matters: documenting a historical feat does not mean encouraging it to be repeated.
The human fascination
The story sits at the intersection of endurance, animal handling and spectacle. Ketkaew’s calm presence made the danger appear manageable, though the stings and modern welfare policy underline how extreme the situation was.
Source: Guinness World Records
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