A scorpion can inflict a load of pain on a much larger victim with one quick sting, but there is one animal that is immune to the venom, researchers say.

In a battle of venom versus vermin, a grasshopper mouse attacks a bark scorpion in slow motion without any effect. When stung, the mouse momentarily licks its paws before moving in for the kill.

Ashlee Rowe and her team of researchers at Michigan State University found that the tough mouse was able to withstand the scorpion's painful and potentially deadly attack because the venom binds to sodium channels, blocking the mouse's neurons from sending pain signals to its brain.

Researchers hope the discovery will help lead to advancements in the ways pain is treated in humans.