# Camel Spiders



## Guest (Apr 14, 2004)

Someone sent me this pic in an e-mail with the title "Camel Spiders". 
These things look huge!


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## PiranhasaurusRex (Feb 23, 2004)

My brother is in Iraq and said they are the size of your hand, on average but can get much bigger than that. I want one for a pet.


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## jeepman784 (Jan 8, 2004)

that looks like 2 spiders


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## MR HARLEY (Aug 12, 2003)

Holy crap that thing is big


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## *DaisyDarko* (Mar 17, 2004)

Ugh.... That is truely terrifying!


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## lemmywinks (Jan 25, 2004)

there is 2 spiders there... right? awesome looking spider. if i saw that i think id sh*t myself...


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## sweet lu (Oct 3, 2003)

i want to get more info and better pics of these, kinda interesting as long as they arent near me


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

:nod: yes there is 2 spiders there
and those mofo's are scary looking


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## Kory (Jun 5, 2003)

Here check this out.

http://boingboing.net/2004/04/09/the_truth_about_came.html


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Yes that is two individual solfigids, and no they are not spiders....








The vernacular camel spider is apllied to a few true spiders as well as soem solfigids...in the US, many of our solfugids are know by the vernacular sun-spider...
They are NOT venomous...although their bite is extremely painful..

Solfugids, aka solpugids, make up around 800 groups of semi tropical and tropical arachnids. They have been called sun spiders because of their activity during the day, and wind scorpions due to the notable speed at which they move. Species of the US are found in Florida, the Southwest, and north to Colorado. They fancy desert-like vincities, hiding under rocks, within cracks, and in burrows.

These arachnids are considered large at 7 cm. Their prosoma is divided into a large anterior caraspace with small eyes together , and a short posterior section. Prosomal divisions at least in non burrowing species, get along well with one another, a suprising characteristic among arachnids. The abdomen, large, and broadly joined, is noticably segmented.

Solfugids posess massive chelicerae, which points upward when the subdivided prosoma is flexed. It is very heavy and is larger than the prosoma. The chelciera, made up of two pieses, forming pincers which pinch vertically. Pedipalps are specialized with adhesive pads helpful in the capture of prey. The first two legs are small and used for feeling. The other three pairs are used in running.

With enourmous appetites, they consume small animals including invertebrates. Seizing the prey with pedipalpes, the victim is passed to the rather large chelceria where it is tokrn apart and consumed.

Gas exchange occurs with a tracheal system, opening through three pairs of ventral slit-like spicacles on the prosoma and abdomen. Excretion occurs by coxal glands and Malpighian tubules.

In mating, males grab females prior to copulation. Some species even have short periods of stroking and palpatation involved, causing the female to fall into a passive state. Turning the female over, teh male then opens her genital orfice with his chelciere, omits a globule of semen, then emits it into her genital orfice. This only takes a few minutes, after which the male bounds away.

Later on, the female will deposit 50 to 200 eggs into burrows in the ground.

The name of the solifugids originates from the Latin for 'fleeing from the sun' although many species are nocturnal. The term 'sun spider' applies to those species active during the day that tend to avoid the heat and dash from shadow to shadow - often of a person - giving the alarming impression that they are giving chase. The term 'red roman' probably originates form the Afrikaans term 'rooiman' (red man) due to the red-brown colour of some species. The popular terms 'haarskeerders' and 'baardskeerders' (Afrikaans words for hair and beard cutters) originate from the strange behaviour of some of these animals where they cut hair from sleeping people or animals (dogs) at night. It appears that female solifugids find hair to be an ideal nest liner.

Solifugids appear to have 10 legs but in fact, the first pair of appendages are the pedipalps that are very strong and are used for various functions such as drinking, fighting, feeding and mating. The first pair of legs are thin and short and used as tactile organs. The fourth pair of legs are the longest and strongest and carry white structures called racket organs - the purpose of which is not known.

They vary in size and those found locally are quite small, about 15-20 mm, but in the arid areas they can reach 70 mm and with legs included, can measure 160 mm. The head is large, supporting large strong chelicerae (jaws). The 11 segmented abdomen is soft and expandable that enables the animal to each large amounts of food.

The order includes various families; Ceromidae, Daesiidae, Gylippidae, Hexisopodidae, Karschiidae, Melanoblossiidae, Solpugidae. Of the 900 species throughout the world, 240 species occur in southern Africa. Solifugids are divided into two groups - nocturnal and diurnal. The diurnal species are usually more brightly coloured and the nocturnal species are usually much larger. These arachnids are found mostly in the hot arid regions and have a resistance to high temperatures and low humidity.

Solifugids prey on various insects, spiders, scorpions, small retiles, dead birds and even each other. Some species are exclusively termite predators. They run their prey down and once they catch it they eat while the prey is still alive with vigorous ripping and cutting actions of the powerful jaws.

Male solifugids have hook-like flagella on the chelicerae, uniquely shaped for each species, that probably play some part in mating. During mating, the male deposits a spermatophore in the female's vagina. About 20 to 200 eggs are produced and hatch within about four weeks. Solifugids live for about a year and pass through 9 instars before maturity. They are solitary animals living in scraped out sand retreats under rocks and logs.


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

they sound like badassed arachnids. Are they successfully kept in small enclosures like research facilities and zoos etc? Any idea if they are in the terrarium hobby?


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

There are several species kept and offered for sale by various wholesalers, and retail pet shops in the country, most offered are native US species, but some African species are also fairly commonly offered as direct imports through the FL wholesalers...


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

have you kept/tended to any yourself?


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## willis18 (Feb 4, 2004)

They are fast as hell too! Whne I was there they always wanted to dtay in your shadow to stay cool...but you would theunk they were chasing you...DAMN FAST!!!


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

willis18 said:


> They are fast as hell too! Whne I was there they always wanted to dtay in your shadow to stay cool...but you would theunk they were chasing you...DAMN FAST!!!


 I wonder how many people they've emberassed in that manner


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## Fruitbat (Jan 2, 2004)

I have a fun story to relate concerning a solpugid....

Back in the early '70s...in the days of the Great West Texas _Lampropeltis mexicana_ gatherings around the Big Bend National Park...a friend of mine captured a large (3 inch) solpugid crossing the road at night while we were out snake collecting. Having no suitable container for the fearsome arachnid, he scooped it into a styrofoam cup and covered the open top tightly. When we returned to the Study Butte Motel late that night after hours of cruising the area's roads we were both pretty tired so we grabbed our captives (a number of pillow cases containing reptiles and the cup containing the solpugid), took them to his room and set them on a chair next to his bed. I adjourned to my own room and slept soundly.

My friend was still in bed when I finally decided to roust him at about 11 AM. Knowing that the crude lout slept _au natural_ (without skivvies for those of you who are French challenged)....I pounded on the door to his room and waited for him to start grumbling coherently. After a few minutes I heard him yell....'Oh sh*t! Get in here!!'. I opened the door to see my snake-hunting buddy standing in the middle of the floor gazing down at his crotch with fear in his eyes. Sitting on the floor next to his bed was the styrofoam cup....with a hole chewed completely through it. Yep....you guessed it....the poor lout had stripped out of his clothes and then gone to bed. When I woke him up he simply reached down...grabbed his undershorts from the floor....and pulled them on. It was only when he got them to waist level that he realized that he had an unwelcomed hitch-hiker....which was now firmly nestled up right against his testicles.

Needless to say....I wasn't in the slightest bit interested in helping him to remove said arachnid from his family jewels. I did stand ready with a set of forceps to snare the invertebrate offender once my mortified friend managed to coax it from his genitals. Moving slowly and very gingerly my friend managed to ease his shorts down to his knees....revealing a rather peeved looking solpugid. With a rapid flick of his hand he managed to send the 'bug' flying (and whacked the hell out of his balls in the process). Before the stunned beastie could react I quickly snagged it with the forceps and forcibly ejected it from the room.

This is a true story.....never underestimate the chelicera power of a solpugid. I can only imagine the damage it would have done had my friend not exercised really good judgement while extricating himself from that situation. I shudder to think how I would have reacted if the damned thing had been sitting on MY testicles!!! Yeeeeeeesh!!!


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

eeeeesh


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## Kreth 10RBP (Dec 5, 2003)

Fruitbat said:


> I have a fun story to relate concerning a solpugid....
> 
> Back in the early '70s...in the days of the Great West Texas _Lampropeltis mexicana_ gatherings around the Big Bend National Park...a friend of mine captured a large (3 inch) solpugid crossing the road at night while we were out snake collecting. Having no suitable container for the fearsome arachnid, he scooped it into a styrofoam cup and covered the open top tightly. When we returned to the Study Butte Motel late that night after hours of cruising the area's roads we were both pretty tired so we grabbed our captives (a number of pillow cases containing reptiles and the cup containing the solpugid), took them to his room and set them on a chair next to his bed. I adjourned to my own room and slept soundly.
> 
> ...


 god... for any of you that are into extreme human abuse, you know that a self inflicted blow to the testicles (after the first time) is something that only should happen in the case of life or death... i remember the first time i tried it... it was dark in my room and the only thing i could think about was the pain... although your situation might have been advantageous to kick him sqaure in the nuts and say you were aiming for the spider


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)

Damn that thing is scary!


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## Kory (Jun 5, 2003)

lol that is some funny stuff fruitbat.


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

all cleaned up and ready for business..proceed


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)

Holly old thread


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## devildog/usmc (May 7, 2005)

brings back some memories


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## devildog/usmc (May 7, 2005)

when you go to iraq they give you a in country brief. one of the topics is camel spiders .if a camel spider bites you ,you would never feel it.it has two set of fangs one for eating and one that injects something that makes the bite go numb.my buddy got bit in the back and didnt know it till someone saw it.the bite kinda looks like the skin is rotting. we would find these spider in mouse traps all the time. a couple of times we would put camel spiders with scorpions.the spiders would always kill the scorpions


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