Camel Spiders...

[Jeff7181]

Sorry if this is a repost, or if you've seen it before... just got this in an e-mail... OH MY GOD!

 

[MikeMike]

about 3 third repost.

MIKE

 

[Glitchny]

nasty

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
about 3 third repost.

MIKE

I searched for camel spider and it didn't find anything... oh well...

 

[nativesunshine]

ugh..

even thinking about it still makes me shudder uncontrollably.

and OMG..my phone just freakin rang...made me jump a mile..

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
about 3 third repost.

MIKE

I searched for camel spider and it didn't find anything... oh well...

You must really suck at searching, because I just searched camel spider and came up with 3 other threads.

 

[Jeff7181]

Just thought I would ad this too...

Urban legends about the camel spider (properly termed a solpugid or solifugid) are as old as the proverbial hills, but they made a huge resurgence when vectored by American troops in Kuwait during Desert Storm. They're not quite as big as your hand (unless you're a five-year-old), and very shy and secretive. They do like to hide in the shadows, and they do run very, very quickly for a critter (they can reach about 10 MPH, the fastest known non-flying arthropod). They make no noise whatsoever, they have no venom whatsoever, and they do not eat flesh--they eat small desert arthropods like crickets and pillbugs. The rumors of their attacking camels, or crawling onto sleeping GIs' faces, apparently stem from one of two things, both of which may be true to some extent: (1) they may use hair to line their burrow when they are about to lay a batch of eggs, said hair being clipped from dead camels or other dead mammals (and a sleeping GI is not much different), and/or (2) dead camels are covered with flies, and crawling over a camel corpse may make for a convenient way to get a good meal of flies.

We have camel spiders in the sandy parts of the southwest U.S. and Mexico (in Mexico they are called matevenados), considerably smaller than the Middle Eastern types, but of the same shy, unassuming habits. Completely harmless and beneficial critters, like the desert equivalent of a praying mantis.

--SDSTAFF Doug
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board

 

[Modeps]

do camel spiders have camel toes?

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: Modeps
do camel spiders have camel toes?

Depends on what they're wearing...

 

[MikeMike]

use the full text search next time.

MIKE

 

[PanzerIV]

Holy crap that thing is huge. The funny thing is I was discussing Iraq last night with my brother-in-law who got back from Iraq/Kuwait about a month ago and he mentioned that they wouldn't let them take camel spiders back with them. I had no idea what that was and then I ran up on this thread.

 

[ohtwell]

Those are scary little fvckers!


: ) Amanda

 

[Gurck]

christ are those nasty :shocked;

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181

Originally posted by: Modeps
do camel spiders have camel toes?

Depends on what they're wearing...

:beer:

 

[Optimus]

teh snopes linkage

 

[conjur]

Friend of mine just sent me a pic of that thing...


I'm scarred for life now!!

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

that's nothing, did anyone watch Jay Leno last night. They had Bird eating Tarantulas. Talk about creepy. the things were like dinner plates. I saw one at the Zoo once and it was big enough that it could wrap it's legs completely around your head. The fangs were about and inch or so long.

 

[Match]

Originally posted by: ohtwell
Those are scary little fvckers!


: ) Amanda

little?

 

[K1052]

:Q

<----puts down can of Raid, picks up 12 gauge semi-atuo shotgun

 

[Mr N8]

Can I have your guitar?