The Camel Spider: Facts and Pictures

Camel spiders have an online reputation the real animal cannot live up to. Stories claim they scream, chase people across the desert, and grow to the size of a dinner plate. The truth is stranger in its own way: a fast desert hunter with huge jaws and no venom at all.

Camel spiders are not true spiders. They belong to a group of arachnids called Solifugae and also go by the names sun spider, wind scorpion, and wind spider. Around 50 species live in the deserts of the southwest United States, and a few hundred more live in the Middle East and Africa.

What Camel Spiders Look Like

A large camel spider can reach about 6 inches with its legs stretched out. Most are tan or brown, with a body that looks segmented and slightly fuzzy. The first thing people notice is the jaws. A camel spider’s chelicerae are enormous for its body size and work like toothed pincers, and the leg-like pedipalps out front help it grab and pin prey. Camel spiders have no venom. They rely on speed and those jaws to catch insects, other arachnids, and sometimes small lizards or rodents.

Where They Live

Camel spiders live in dry, sandy, rocky country: the Middle East, North Africa, and the desert southwest of the United States. They dig burrows or shelter under debris during the day and come out at night to hunt. That habit of avoiding daylight explains most of the scary stories told about them.

Life Cycle

The female buries her eggs in sandy soil, and in many species she guards them until they hatch. The young molt several times as they grow. Most camel spiders live about a year.

Camel Spider Myths

The famous claims are false. Camel spiders do not scream, do not jump 4 feet into the air, do not eat the stomachs out of camels, and do not reach the size of a dinner plate. Careful measurements put their top speed near 10 miles per hour. That is fast for an arachnid, but a jogging adult can outpace one. The shadow story is the one with truth in it. A camel spider caught in the open runs for the nearest patch of shade, and on open sand the nearest shade is often your own shadow. People see a large arachnid sprinting at their heels and understandably panic. It is not chasing you. It wants out of the sun, and if you stop moving, it will settle into your shadow until you walk on.

Are Camel Spiders Dangerous?

No. A camel spider has no venom and bites people only when grabbed or cornered. A big one can break the skin, and any animal bite can get infected, so wash it with soap and water and keep an eye on it. If the area keeps getting worse, our spider bite treatment page covers the warning signs that mean it is time to see a doctor.