The Camel Spider – Monster or Myth?

Posted by admin on July 10, 2009
Most of you have heard the stories… The camel spider is as big as a dinner plate, chase people screaming like a banshee, eat the insides of camels, and are generally all around nasty disgusting spiders, right? Wrong. The camel spider is none of those things at all. If you want to know the real deal, then this article is for you.
The camel spider that our soldiers are encountering in Iraq is actually not a spider at all. They are in the family of solpugid. This is the same family that spiders are in, but the camel spider is not classified as a real spider. Camel spiders are not the dangerous spider that is spoken of all over the web.
The camel spider has no interest at all in biting a human being. We are far too large to eat. They generally will not bite unless we threaten them, or surprise them. Camel spiders want to be left alone as a rule, and stay largely out of sight during the day. They do not like light at all.
Another common myth about camel spiders is that they like to chase us at speeds of up to 30 mph. Sorry, but the camel spider runs at around ten mph. That is still strikingly fast, and amazing in its own right. Camel Spiders have been known to seem as though they are chasing people, but that is simply a matter of them seeking shade from the light.
People cast shadows. When they move to get away from a camel spider, the camel spider may then follow them to stay in the shade. This led to the “screaming spider story” that circulated all over the web.
Camel spiders also do not grow to the size of a small UFO. They grow about seven to eight inches in length. That is still a huge size for any spider or scorpion. The camel spider can kick a scorpion’s butt too. They eat them for breakfast as shown below.
Camel spiders are fascinating creatures. Wouldn’t you love to have one hang out around your house?

Most of you have heard the stories… The camel spider is as big as a dinner plate, chase people screaming like a banshee, eat the insides of camels, and are generally all around nasty disgusting spiders, right? Wrong. The camel spider is none of those things at all. If you want to know the real deal, then this article is for you.

Camel Spider Giving Birth

Camel Spider Giving Birth

The camel spider that our soldiers are encountering in Iraq is actually not a spider at all. They are in the family of solpugid. This is the same family that spiders are in, but the camel spider is not classified as a real spider. Camel spiders are not the dangerous spider that is spoken of all over the web.

The camel spider has no interest at all in biting a human being. We are far too large to eat. They generally will not bite unless we threaten them, or surprise them. Camel spiders want to be left alone as a rule, and stay largely out of sight during the day. They do not like light at all.

Another common myth about camel spiders is that they like to chase us at speeds of up to 30 mph. Sorry, but the camel spider runs at around ten mph. That is still strikingly fast, and amazing in its own right. Camel Spiders have been known to seem as though they are chasing people, but that is simply a matter of them seeking shade from the light.

People cast shadows. When they move to get away from a camel spider, the camel spider may then follow them to stay in the shade. This led to the “screaming spider story” that circulated all over the web.

Camel spiders also do not grow to the size of a small UFO. They grow about seven to eight inches in length. That is still a huge size for any spider or scorpion. The camel spider can kick a scorpion’s butt too.

Camel spiders are fascinating creatures. Wouldn’t you love to have one hang out around your house?

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Category Categories: Spider Myths  |  Tag Tags: bite, camel spider, camel spiders, chase, common myth, creatures, dangerous spider, human, iraq, monster, scorpion, solpugid, spider story  |  Comments No Comments »

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