Camel Spider
A camel spider, which is also in the class Arachnida with spiders interestingly enough, is not a spider at all. A camel spider is actually a solpugid, and there are about 900 species of them known to date. Around 50 species of camel spiders are found in southwest US and about 240 in southern Africa. The reason behind the name ‘camel spiders’ is simply because they are found in the desert. A Camel spider is also known as wind scorpion, sun spider, and wind spider.
A camel spider can run at 30 mph and they have a terrifying scream while they run! At least that is what urban legend and popular myths would have you believe. The truth is that a camel spider can only run about 10 mph. Camel spiders can get up to 6 inches long and are nocturnal creatures (prefer the night). the Camel Spider will dig holes and burrows where they spend time during the day. Because the camel spider possesses no venom and is not poisonous and must rely on other assets, for example their force and their speed.
Camel Spiders
Camel Spiders can jump 4 or more feet into the air, eat the stomachs out of camels, and can grow to be the size of a dinner plate - again, another myth of which none are true.
In fact, the picture of the soldier holding the camel spider is really a picture of two camel spiders attached to one another and held out in front of the soldier to make it appear larger than it really is! The picture of the smaller camel spider below is what you can expect.
Screaming Spider
What spooks so many people is that the camel spider seeks out shadows, so if your walking (and even running), the camel spider will actually follow your shadow! This leads to people imagining that the spider is screaming while chasing them!
Because they run so fast and stay in your shadow, you might think they are chasing you but in fact, they are simply staying out of the light.
The next time you are walking and notice a massive spider following you, don’t get to excited, it’s just you standard camel spider seeking shelter.
Camel spiders are nocturnal and they spend most the day hidden in burrows that they excavated themselves rather than using a pre-existing hole.
A Camel spider is more likely to be seen during the spring and summer months due to the fact that they dislike cold weather. Camel spiders typically feed on insects, scorpions, or lizards and often eat so much that they become bloated and can hardly move (much like I do when eating out!)
The camel spider is not dangerous and typically does not bite humans unless it is on accident or they feel threatened (except for this Camel Spider Bite), as is the case with other spiders. Like other spider bites, it is important to consult a doctor immediately after being bitten by a camel spider, especially if the kind of spider is unknown.
Written by Jim on August 6th, 2007 with
222 comments.
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Unfortunately camel spiders cant be sent in the mail from iraq or anywhere here in the middle east. Customs would go berserk on you for even trying to send one. Ive been here 5 months already and havent seen one. As for using them for target practice thats really unlikely. Rules of Engagement are really strict here and if you shot one or missed for practice and it killed someone else youd be in a world of hurt. Plus the military is really strict on usage of rounds and all that. I have to count my rounds after every convoy I go on. Sorry I didnt have much info on camel spiders but I wanted to dispel a little bit about what we as soldiers do here in Iraq and the middle east as a whole.
I live in the Black Forest area of Colorado Springs, Colorado. My wife uncovered a Camel Spider in our garage the other day. I did not realize what it was and never seen one before. I thought it was a spider. I did not kill it because I am a big spider fan. Should I have killed it? I know that they are being listed as an invasive species. Where would be the best places to look for these critters? I want to know what are they doing to the eco systems? What do they eat, where do they nest etc….Thanx for your help!
If you want a camel spider as a pet you are not to smart and I have no sympathy if you get bitten so don’t come crying about it later. Camel Spiders are NOT your friends, they are not like a puppy and will not differentiate you from it’s food. So be careful in the middle of the night because it’s numbing and you won’t know that it’s been chewing on you all night until you wake up and find skin and tissue missing. If you want a cuddly pet get a dog or a cat instead of being an idiot. Military personal wouldn’t be afraid of them for nothing. By the way this is coming from a woman who is in the military, please take my word for it!
they are so cool my bro went to iraq and ha s a photo of him holding a dead one
man i have read up on these things omg i will totally freak if i see one. ok thanks for the info
thats so awsome dude amazing late
Camel Spiders not dangerous???
If I saw one of those guys come flying at me, I’d drown I HATE spiders! I HATE anything that looks like a spider. When I lived on a farm many years ago, a giant huntsman spider blocked the exit from my room and I couldn’t bring myself to duck under it… so I reached into the cupboard, pulled out my 4-10 baby shotgun and blew the thing away… It also killed 2 walls, a ceiling and some iron roofing - but that learned it.
Don’t camel spiders only bite for defense? If you tied them up for atleast an hour and then let them go would they bite you? If you did nothing would they still bite you? The reason why I asked that question is because I had a nightmare that there was a camel spider in my house and it was chasing me and I got on a chair and it came on the table and rapped it’s leg around me and almost bit me, but I flung it off before it could bite me. Don’t camel spiders only live in Iraq? If they do I feel bad for Barack Obama because he’s going to go to Iraq and I feel so bad for him.
From,
Victoria
Please respond at vicaloons@ yahoo.com
that is the biggest spider i have ever seen wow!
Living in Australia and having 8 out of the top ten deadly snakes and 4 of the deadliest spiders in the world, it’s amusing what people will say and believe to get a reaction - a little like the old “chinese whispers” game……..
U guys y would u want a spider that size anyway?
i have alot of diff. spiders and my largest is bird eater about 12” wide eats sm.rats every 3 mnths.i would love to have a camel spider so if anyone knows of any way i can get one i would like to have one.thanks
ok id think twice before geting camle sp[ider its extreamly dangerous so yeah you could wind up hurt ask anyone whos lived in bagdad some of our U.S. trops found them in there sleepingbags they are very dangerous so please think twice
yeah think twice or else
its ugly!!!
god i hate camel siders they make me so scaredL(
camal spiders arent poisenes they only eat flesh
I dont know much about spiders but I am deadly afraid of them!!!
while hangin out with my friend Fawn I saw a camel spider, we were cutting roots with scissors and the spider was hiding in the corner next to me! I didnt see it and reached over to grab some more roots then before I could see it Fawn grabbed me and pulled me back, at first I though it was a scorpion then I realized it wasnt we ran inside to get my mom and her boyfriend Fred.
He told us it was a brown spider common in Yuma,Az where we live he stepped on it and we thought nothing of it, but today when I got on the computer and looked it up I reallized it was a Camel Spider! My mom was fretting when we found about if it was a camel spider but Fred said no they werent found here. The couldent see the spider well from where they were standing so they didnt know what it really looked like.
Please Help! Should we be worried about more? I know im not a genius when it comes to spiders but I am sure it was a camel spider!
How did it get here???
please if you know email grizzlygirl89@yahoo.com!
Your help is apprecieated!
Man I’m not usally scared of spiders but since reciving the email and pics of the two Camel spiders from a family member (the bottom spider is eating the top one) Even though I worked out that it was a trick to make them appear bigger I’m still scared, my email also said that they inject novocaine and may gnaw at you all night, along with chase your shadow screaming, run at 15mph and can jump 1metre. It’s enough to make me think twice about signing up with the Australian Army. True or not, I most surely wouldn’t want 1as a pet.
i think i would injoy having one of these because they are interesting.Some of them look so nasty.I dont believe that they do have 10 legs
I think the reason why people get huge wounds from the bites is possibly because the spider’s fangs are dirty.It eats insects and they all carry some kind of parasites.
Used to catch these when I lived in Turkey. One bit my mother on the toe when it was hiding in the couch. It makes 4 rather large holes but it is cool to watch it eat things. Wicked nasty bug!!
I completely agree with the writer. The first time I saw a camel spider was when I was 10 years old. They can move as fast as I run back then. Unlike public belief they are not nasty killer spiders, as a matter of fact I used to play the shadow game with them when I was a kid.
I heard they feed on scorpion but never saw one do it. However, in the north western Iraqi desert both animals are known to be abundant.