# spider from Iraq???



## MeteoRa (Sep 4, 2004)

Has anyone seen this species of spider before :? ...i've never seen this one before... I found this picture from a forum...it says that this spider eats flesh... 

it inject some sort of anaesthetic venom into a person that was sleeping... so the person didn't feel anything while this creature eats it's flesh off.... the next morning the  victim woke up with part of his/her arm gone...  
eaten by the spider... 

i have no idea if this is crap or true...one of my friend even saw it in the news....has anyone saw the news before....


----------



## leiurus (Sep 4, 2004)

First, this is not a tarantula. 

Second this is not a spider, this is a solfugid. 

Yep,  I already saw that pic, and these animals arent venemous.


----------



## MeteoRa (Sep 4, 2004)

leiurus said:
			
		

> First, this is not a tarantula.
> 
> Second this is not a spider, this is a solfugid.
> 
> Yep,  I already saw that pic, and these animals arent venemous.



so the information from the forum i saw is false....
thanks for the info...anyway, what's a solfugid


----------



## Socrates (Sep 4, 2004)

No, they DO NOT eat flesh.   

I found the below 2 links on these Boards...and there are more if you do a search.  (...and your thread might be moved cause it's not a tarantula....)

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=30675&highlight=iraq

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=23896


---
Wendy
---


----------



## MeteoRa (Sep 4, 2004)

Socrates said:
			
		

> No, they DO NOT eat flesh.
> 
> I found the below 2 links on these Boards...and there are more if you do a search.  (...and your thread might be moved cause it's not a tarantula....)
> 
> ...


thanks wendy....

it's alright if this thread is removed... cos this is what i saw from a forum in china, that's what they actually said... they said it's a spider and i'm not very sure...so i posted this thread here...

and thanks for the links you've show me...

at least i've learned another thing...


----------



## willywonka (Sep 4, 2004)

There is an interesting article about them in July's(I think :? ) issue of National Geographic.


----------



## Runaway987 (Sep 4, 2004)

This peach again...

Solfugids are arachnids sometimes known as sun spiders and camel spiders.

They are as much a tarantula as a lobster is 

They are very active apparently but dont live too long, my local reptile store has a few of them, gruesome looking things.


----------



## cichlidsman (Sep 4, 2004)

If the person that took that shot got paid every time someone used it,  they would be rich.  It seem like i see this pic ever couple of weeks.


----------



## tarantula_tom (Sep 4, 2004)

This is on the cover of the ATS forum Vol. 13 #2. Its actually a doctored photo of two dead windscorpions.


----------



## leiurus (Sep 4, 2004)

tarantula_tom said:
			
		

> Its actually a doctored photo of two dead windscorpions.



Windscorpions? You mean solfugids


----------



## cichlidsman (Sep 4, 2004)

leiurus said:
			
		

> Windscorpions? You mean solfugids


they have a few nick names.


----------



## leiurus (Sep 4, 2004)

cichlidsman said:
			
		

> they have a few nick names.



Oups! I thought he meant whipscorpions :8o Sorry!


----------



## maxwellxxv (Sep 4, 2004)

here check this link out
http://home.global.co.za/~quagga/solpugid.htm


----------



## cichlidsman (Sep 4, 2004)

leiurus said:
			
		

> Oups! I thought he meant whipscorpions :8o Sorry!


my stupid.  i forgot that whipscorpions were a different critter.


----------



## kellygirl (Sep 4, 2004)

Windscorpions and whipscorpions are different things.

-Kelly


----------



## MyNameHere (Sep 5, 2004)

sounds like this has already been cleared up, but here's another link from our friendly neighbourhood urban legend debunkers Snopes.com:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/camelspider.asp


----------



## Scorp guy (Jan 17, 2006)

just so you know, i saw the exact same forum, and part of his arm wasnt gone, just a nasty mark, and a solfugid wouldnt do that, they are veneom-less and wouldnt harm a human even if they had the chance.something that could deliver such venom into his arm must of been a scorpion or a large wasp.


----------



## Scolopeon (Jan 17, 2006)

Solfugids are actively called, Solpugids, red romans, sun spiders, camel spiders, wind scorpions, and wind spiders.

I used to have one of these and actually dared to hold it.. it mauled anything dropped in its cage, I won't even put down what it ate.

Mine lasted a few months at best i've had two of them now.

I also read an interesting article about them saying that pound for pound no animal on earth has stronger jaws. For their size their jaws crushing power is much more than a sharks.

All rumours about their speed, having antiseptic to numb you while they bite, jumping up on camels guts and laying their eggs in them, and even taking bites out of soldiers are all myth.

what is factual though is in the desert they may appear to be chasing you, they are actually trying to hide under your shade from the scorching heat.

They can overpower anything of similar size including scorpions, spiders, lizards etc but do occasionally fall prey to their own prey, (I have seen scorpions and spiders eat them).

Hope that helps..
Ryan


----------



## aggie08 (Feb 5, 2006)

My buddy's dad is in the US Army and has served in Afghanistan.  He said when the soldiers get bored they find a camel spider (not a spider, but it's what they call them) and the biggest scorpion they can find and fight them.  Apparently the camel spider always wins because it's so fast and it knows to clip off the stinger of the scorp.  Check out this video, it's pretty cool.

http://www.ecologicproductions.com/ref_movies/tsck_Spider.mov


----------



## brova golin (Feb 20, 2006)

*wild*

these are an amazing creature and are also found wild in south turkey,  whilst on a trip there i managed to catch one in a hotel complex, they are very fast and will bite but only to get away they are venomless an ugly as sin. gol


----------



## aggie08 (Feb 20, 2006)

I know, and so cool!


----------



## Lorgakor (Feb 21, 2006)

On the lower specimen, if you look closely you can see what looks like those plastic tags that are used to attach price tags on clothes and stuff. There are a bunch of them hanging around the top of the abdomen. WTH? Is it a toy or something?


----------



## Malhavoc's (Feb 21, 2006)

Possibly the feather abandages found on scorpions I believe they have to do with breathing and mating, not entirly sure on actual names check out the scorpion section of these boards and you'll find what I'm talking about


----------



## Jeri (Mar 28, 2008)

It's fun to find old threads that remind us how much many people still fear "bugs."  I just figured I'd add another story to the camel spider list.  This one is absolutely true.  I have a friend that was a Marine in Desert Storm.  He is deathly afraid of spiders, so he panics if anything that looks even remotely like one comes near him.  Well, one night he was on guard duty, and he sees one of these solfugids creeping up one of the dunes.  So, what does this big tough Marine do?  He shoots it!  Of course his CO comes charging up to see why someone discharged their weapon.  He freely admitted it and told the Officer that if he saw another one, he'd shoot it too.


----------



## echostatic (Mar 30, 2008)

very easy to get the 2 confused. especially when skimming >.> i would not mind one of these.


----------



## PALAMO (Mar 30, 2008)

My Old Buisness Partner And I Caught A Couple Of These In South West Texas A Few Years Ago ,he Called Them Sun Spiders,but The Ones We Caught Were Not That Big, Only About 1 1/2"..and They Were Reddish Orange In Color,interesting Critters Though, Does Any One Know How Long They Do Live  ?


----------



## Austin S. (Mar 30, 2008)

One of my buddies down in Iraq actually sent this photo to me via e-mail a while back. With the photo he mentioned that this 'spider' makes a whistleing sound while running after you, as well as it eats your flesh and blah blah blah. Quit frankly, I got a kick outa it and told him they do!


----------



## ArachnoDude (Mar 31, 2008)

not dangereous.. but i wouldnt want to get bit by that thing! by any chance has anyone ever breed these before? ive heard they dont live very long


----------



## Widowman10 (Apr 1, 2008)

ArachnoDude said:


> not dangereous.. but i wouldnt want to get bit by that thing! by any chance has anyone ever breed these before? ive heard they dont live very long


i have, wild experience!!!  female laid eggs, but ate them a day or two later  

nope. don't live very long.


----------



## ArachnoDude (Apr 1, 2008)

Widowman10 said:


> i have, wild experience!!!  female laid eggs, but ate them a day or two later
> 
> nope. don't live very long.




I read your post to fast and i coulda sworn u said i ate them a day or two later. my eyes just kinda O.O lol..


----------



## Widowman10 (Apr 1, 2008)

ArachnoDude said:


> I read your post to fast and i coulda sworn u said i ate them a day or two later. my eyes just kinda O.O lol..


haha, yes, _I_ ate them...  they hatched in my stomach and ate their way out too!


----------



## ArachnoDude (Apr 2, 2008)

Widowman10 said:


> haha, yes, _I_ ate them...  they hatched in my stomach and ate their way out too!


NOOOO. technically ud be giving birth to them~ spiderman!


----------

