They are technically not spiders which are within the order Araneae as they are in the Solifugue order, which translates from Latin as "those that flee from the sun". They are desert-dwelling opportunistic carnivores that hunt nocturnally and flee from the sun during they day. Although camel spiders sightings are most often reported in the Middle East, they are also species native to the Southwest United States and Mexico.
Troops coming back from the Middle East have only added more infamy to the already existing stories. So what is fact and what is fiction? Camel spiders get their name from eating the underbellies of camels.
It might be that they got their name because these creatures hide from the sun and could have often been found in the shadow of camels. Although this order spans across the world, they are only found in arid and dry desserts. True of False: They will scream as they run after humans. Often people have felt that camel spiders are chasing them but really they are chasing their shadow and the shade.
If a person stands still, the camel spider will stay in the shade of the shadow cast. Camel spiders do not scream, some species will hiss but most do not make any sound. Camel spiders will shun the sun and during the day seek either shade or a place where they can dig a burrow to get out of the sun.
But urban legends never die — there's always someone who swears it happened to an unnamed "friend. Explore even more! Additional spider resources and more myths poor spiders can't catch a break! Myth: Too many "camel spider" tall tales. Illustration: Henry C. Breadcrumb Home. Myth: "Camel spiders" in Iraq are a foot long, lay eggs under camels' skin, and run 25 miles per hour screaming like a banshee.
Spider Myths "Everything that 'everybody knows' about spiders is wrong! Then, in follow-up messages, the wild claims started to pile up! They call them camel spiders because they eat the stomachs of camels. They attach themselves to the under belly of camels and lay eggs under the skin. They can traverse desert sand at speeds up to 25 miles per hour, making screaming noises as they run. They can jump 4 to 6 feet straight up in the air.
They will chase you down like a hungry lion. If they bite you, the flesh and muscle fall off, leaving a hole. They are venomous, and their venom contains a powerful anesthetic that numbs their victims thus allowing them to gnaw away at living, immobilized animals without being noticed. This builds on a previous myth that spread during the Gulf War. Spider Myth Resources. That is, if you know anything about the savage manner in which solifugids make love.
The male approaches the female and caresses her with his palps. At this point, the male begins to manhandle the typically much-larger female, tugging her to and fro. Next comes the mouth stuff. The top part of the chelicerae, which as you now know are quite large, go all the way in to the hilt. The head pulses. Nobody knows for sure what all this macabre mastication accomplishes. After what must feel like an eternity to everyone involved—including the researcher—the male pulls out.
This whole affair sounds horrific, which might be why the females have evolved a catatonic state to endure it. But there is a caveat. Once awoken, the female solifugid thrashes about until she can free herself from the male.
But on a few occasions, the female would actually start eating the male. Jason Bittel serves up science for picky eaters on his website, BittelMeThis. He lives in Pittsburgh. A close-up of a camel spider's multifaceted mouthparts, taken in Namibia's Namib Desert.
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