Camel Spider Expo

What are these hideously terrifying spidery looking things? Oh, they're camel spiders. And personally, I'm just happy that they don't live in the continental US or on the cold island that is Great Britain.

So technically, they aren't spiders. They are arachnids, like mites, ticks, scorpions, and spiders (all relatives). They are called Solifugae, which comes from the latin for "flee from the sun." They live in desert climates, mostly in Asia and the Middle East. Basically, God must hate them because they HATE the sun, but live in the desert. They have 8 long, sectioned legs like spiders and a separate body and head. Unlike spiders, they do not have fangs, but pinchers. They don't have any venom (well there is this 1 species in India, but it would mildly paralize you and it would have to inject you a ton to get it to work). They basically pinch their prey (termites and beetles, but also small reptiles like lizards) into pieces, then liquify the pieces (like a blender) and suck up the juice.

They are nocturnal (since they don't like the sun), and pretty much freak people out because you can hear them running across the sand, and it's scary (so I've heard and read). They chase soldiers in the desert because they want to be in your shade (and cuddle), but usually won't attack or bite. They can run up to 10mph (yikes) and have been known to chase cars and humvees, etc.

So anyway, the reason for this sudden fascination is a story from my friend Chris, a 6'3" Airforce soldier deployed in Iraq. One day while out, Chris was standing outside the humvee and a camel spider came up to investigate (probably wanting Chris' shade). So Chris screams like a girl and runs back into the humvee, where the spider starts trying to climb up into the vehicle. Meanwhile, Chris' partner is laughing hysterically and decides to fend off the ferocious beast with nothing but chicken nuggets. At first, the animal is offended by having things thrown at it, but alas, the greasy goodness of deepfried chicken goodness overcomes the bad temper of the camel spider and it feeds greedily on the bounty.

For more information on camelspiders, check out: http://www.camelspiders.net/index.htm