The great awesome deadly camel spider.

[The Snark]

I think most people have missed the big picture here. Shame on all you ardent biologists and psychologists!
The hot issue here is who wrote that initial tripe and has s/he been seen by a licensed psychotherapist? Is s/he trotting about the mid east carrying a loaded weapon?
Of much greater interest to me, more than a pic of some folks abusing a couple of fugids is what the psych profile of the author is like.

<<"FOUND IN IRAQ !

They run 10 mph, jump three feet, are a nocturnal spider, so only come out at night unless they are in shade. When they bite you, you are injected with Novocain so you go numb instantly. You don't even know you are bitten when you are sleeping, so you wake up with part of your leg or arm missing because it has been gnawing on it all night long.

If you are walking around and you bump something that is casting a shadow over it, and the sun makes contact with it, you better run. It will instantly run for your shadow, and scream the whole time it is chasing you.">>

Conversely, if there was some reason to believe that report, we have an animal able to produce Novocaine (Procaine) C13 H21 O2 N2 Cl. A synthesized form of cocaine. Hmm. Maybe we shouldn't let that get out. There would be folks all over starting 'camel spider' farms.

PS Sorry about the sarcasm but it really irks me. We have this incredible world filled with all these amazing creatures. Just one species, or even sub-species enough to give us countless hours of awe and wonder. But that isn't enough. We have to have people crank out idiocies about these critters for some bizarre amusement.
The most recent one, that being a salticidae fanatic caused me to laugh at first was the remake of the blush spider hoax, the toilet seat spider. In case some of you haven't caught up on that one, the newest victim of idiot propaganda is, of all things, Telamonia dimidiata. One of the cutest and most colorful of the jumpers. Well, I want to know who trained these guys to trade their venom with the Latro then got them to stay put under toilet seats. "NO HUNTING! You stay put are bite only @$$es! You hear me??!"

 

[Galapoheros]

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing
the means he uses to frighten you. Eric Hoffer

I'm not sure why, but your thread reminded me of this quote.

 

[The Snark]

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing
the means he uses to frighten you. Eric Hoffer

I'm not sure why, but your thread reminded me of this quote.

A good quote and a salient point. But this also conjures up the vision of folks running about waving fugids to see who screams.

I'll add the ancient Chinese quote, I believe that incredible army general whose name I forget (Quan Li?):
Cherish your enemies. You will never find a better vision/mirror/insight into your own failings and shortcomings.
(Perhaps that is where Hoffer got his inspiration)

 

[Galapoheros]

Had to log on again. Well, it's "power" of course. The power to influence and to get attention. Whether it's neg attention or positive, it doesn't matter to these people. Even if it means holding a centipede . Well the difference is that these people are greedy, after money, attention, power, etc. , and here's the crux.... it's regardless of the truth! The truth rules! Lies change but the truth stays the same! The motive is not much diff than that of serial killers. It's a story people will read..truth or not. Most people aren't in touch with reality is my view and I'm not discounting my self. I saw a show about "art" on PBS. It supported my view that people exaggerate almost everything they see and want to be. It's kind of a genetic trait to "be more". But that creates lies and gets people out of touch with reality. Fear and control...muaaahhahahahaha.... Makes some people feel important. Kind of like clipping the wings off a bird so it will make someone feel important when they take care of it. When it's really horribly selfish.......................what were we talking about?

 

[sick4x4]

look

those things are huge...my dad is a master gunnery sgt and he said they are for real... and that the ones he has seen in person were the size of his shoe he is 6'5" so you do the math....whether they are or not isnt for someone who has never been there to say...my dad said that they didnt really see them till the fighting was going on...then they jsut seemed to not be around,,.i wish he could of brought some back but hey who knows....i just like the pic...so my advice is if you havent been there and seen it for yourself just enjoy the pic...i have never seen jesus but that dosent mean he dosent exsit!!!lol

 

[Galapoheros]

Oh, I want one too! These lies are what was being pointed out in the thread:

They run 10 mph, jump three feet, are a nocturnal spider, so only come out at night unless they are in shade. When they bite you, you are injected with Novocain so you go numb instantly. You don't even know you are bitten when you are sleeping, so you wake up with part of your leg or arm missing because it has been gnawing on it all night long.

If you are walking around and you bump something that is casting a shadow over it, and the sun makes contact with it, you better run. It will instantly run for your shadow, and scream the whole time it is chasing you.">>

We know they are big and bite. That other junk...ahhhh.

 

[pitbulllady]

those things are huge...my dad is a master gunnery sgt and he said they are for real... and that the ones he has seen in person were the size of his shoe he is 6'5" so you do the math....whether they are or not isnt for someone who has never been there to say...my dad said that they didnt really see them till the fighting was going on...then they jsut seemed to not be around,,.i wish he could of brought some back but hey who knows....i just like the pic...so my advice is if you havent been there and seen it for yourself just enjoy the pic...i have never seen jesus but that dosent mean he dosent exsit!!!lol

No one said that "camel spiders", which are properly called "Solfugids", don't exist-just that most of the stuff that gets circulated about them is pure crap! They aren't even SPIDERS, for crying out loud! They aren't venomous, they don't attack camels, and they don't get anywhere NEAR as big as claimed.

pitbulllady

 

[Stylopidae]

those things are huge...my dad is a master gunnery sgt and he said they are for real

And we're arachnid hobbiests with access to some of the most famous arachnologist minds in the world. We cite scientiffic sources and we even have captive specimens from that part of the world that obviously do not resemble ANYTHING from the rumors.

I'm even going to point out the fact that the most famous picture of them floating around the net is only a trick of perspective, the pliers are visibly close to the camera on top of the picture for christ's sake. It's only about as long as the guy's finger.

So...yeah. You're dad's a master gunnery seargent. Not an arachnologist.

lol1

 

[The Snark]

those things are huge...my dad is a master gunnery sgt and he said they are for real... and that the ones he has seen in person were the size of his shoe he is 6'5" so you do the math....whether they are or not isnt for someone who has never been there to say...my dad said that they didnt really see them till the fighting was going on...then they jsut seemed to not be around,,.i wish he could of brought some back but hey who knows....i just like the pic...so my advice is if you havent been there and seen it for yourself just enjoy the pic...i have never seen jesus but that dosent mean he dosent exsit!!!lol

One aspect. They are huge and they bite. No, not really. They are smaller than cats and dogs. A small puppy is larger and bites far more. It's exotic is all, to some people.
If people in the first world spent 1/10th of the time they spend in front of the braindeath box watching 'quality programming' (that's nice, but who wants to be programmed?), and learning natural history instead, things like camel spider bananarama wouldn't get global interest.

Learn some of the true, amazing exotics. All the technology mankind possess today cannot emulate the hydraulic forces exerted by the legs of a jumping spider. The latro and some others produces a fiber as strong or stronger than the strongest man made one, and with far greater precision. So many incredibles from nature, why make up stuff?

Galapoheros: Nice tangent! How about this one:
"We live our entire lives with the truth a permanent blur in the corner of our eye. And when something nudges it into outline it's like being ambushed by a grotesque" Tom Stoppard - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.

 

[sick4x4]

no worries

i got what some other people were saying its kool.i guessed they wern't really that huge...i just think sometimes we rely on our inexperiance , then we do on true fact(like i do lol)...i love you all and know we discuss and humor for the futhering of our trade..and belive me, when i get heated on something, i tend not to hear what is being said rather to that one thing that got me heated....with all the undiscovered species that are out there !!!sometimes its good to just hope!!like i hope they could get that big...like we did when we were kids wanting santa to come to our house!!!lol love you guys!!

 

[The Snark]

I recall unearthing a 'potato bug' as a child. (Jerusalem cricket). I dashed to get the grownups to check out my find. Some expert I idolized (He was very tall, wore glasses, and smoked a pipe so he had to have been an expert) glanced at it and informed me is wasn't poisonous. So, of course, I stuck my finger in it's face. That was, to the best of my recollection, the beginning of an endless series of my getting munched by things. Okay, it wasn't poisonous, but it felt like it was determined to remove my finger as one would expect from a pair of pliers. Naturally I fell in love with them. Thank goodness I wasn't raised where the dreaded camel spider resides. I probably wouldn't have all my fingers.

 

[Galapoheros]

I'm not giving up either! I like to look forward to new discoveries. There's no telling what's else is out there. Anyway, here's one I picked off the road in the US about a month ago. Much smaller than the topic species. Look at that! I see how it would look dangerous to people that are new to seeing one. When we don't know, we exaggerate the possibilities that run through our heads...haha, a screaming fugid! Hey you think a soldier out there saw one and screamed, got embarrassed and pointed to the fugid and said.."...it screamed!...it wasn't me!!!" Man, they are very strong for their size! I think there are safety instincts that make us exaggerate too. You ever stand next to a big drop-off, look down and feel like you're getting sucked over the edge? But you're really just fine there. Your brain's exaggerating the danger just to get you to REAL safety...just in case. Kind of interesting when you think about it.

 

[The Snark]

Nice specimen!
When encountering these fearsome monsters, it is a study in psychology and the influences a person has had imposed upon their thinking and rationality.
Take the 'camel spider'. It's huge and it bites. Now compare to a puppy. Those needle sharp milk teeth are usually sunk into your bod a lot more frequently than the fugid would do, yet you are quite happy to cuddle the puppy.
Take your pictured specimin. See the reaction people have to those fearsome claws even with you holding it for them. Do you see a similar reaction when people see live crab for sale in a market?
These fear responses and irrational behavior are trained into us. They are not normal or natural. They are in fact thoughts, thinking and responding, the way someone has taught us to act.
In turn, I find peoples mind controlled brain washed thoughts and actions very irritating. If it was something a person came up with of their own volition it would be different.
It would be a lot nicer and more tolerant world if you could randomly show people a specimen like you are holding and their only response is awe and wonder of what is naturally occurring around us.

 

[Randolph XX()]

hey gala, is that one local sps?

 

[C_Strike]

These fear responses and irrational behavior are trained into us. They are not normal or natural. They are in fact thoughts, thinking and responding, the way someone has taught us to act.
In turn, I find peoples mind controlled brain washed thoughts and actions very irritating. If it was something a person came up with of their own volition it would be different.
It would be a lot nicer and more tolerant world if you could randomly show people a specimen like you are holding and their only response is awe and wonder of what is naturally occurring around us.

TBH, i understand your point but 'fight or flight' response.. not all fears are socially aquired, some but not all... hereditary memories... ie take a just born baby...it cries...but who taught it to know that it can cry?. Its inbuilt knowledge 'programming' to a degree.
Hence all of our lovely spiders have personalities, certain species r reknown for certain temperments. take ur avg chile rose, and a GGB... both easy to care for, similar care..yet diff personalities. (EG: Chile rose.. who the hell ever knows what is goin on with one of those, lmao)
Fear IMO is the same, wer r inbuilt with an amount of what our ancestors have learnt, thats part of evolution.
I think for that matter that if a human sees something with big pointy fangs, in general, it is a natural response to be cautious/ scared of it depending.
Just my opinion tho
<<EDIT>> I have tho seen a psychological study into a babys inbuilt levels of fear.. cnt remember who conducted it tho, but it showd that a baby does have a level of fear inbuilt, small tho, but ofc requires reinforcing and balancing learnt through experience of the baby. il try to find out who it was
Iv liked these for as long as i remember!! lol

 

[Galapoheros]

hey gala, is that one local sps?

As far as the philosophical and psychological interest about fear and perceptions talked about here...well if y'all haven't read a few of Joseph Campbell's books, I REALLY think you would like reading them. I felt like I had been asleep most of my life after reading the thought provoking material in his books. ...But now I'm whacko!

Yea, local sps! Well, not exactly local. I have to drive about 5 hours away from me on a hunt to find them. When the time of year is right, It is no problem coming across them. They are running on the roads at night. Just running man! Running, running, running! They are weird creatures to me. They really are a little threatening (just a little feeling) when I get out of the truck to catch one even though I know how to handle them. I mean there is "fear" then there is "Yea, they can bite!" They are very fast and very defensive little buggers! I read the post about keeping them confined in captivity because of the theory that they run themselves to death in captivity. That's all I see them do in the wild at night...run, run, run. Well, to them it's walking. It looks like running to us but then when you try to catch them in the wild, they can really pick up the pace! Say your in your car at night.... you know you're looking at a fugid far in the headlights because of how it's moving first, ..color and size, second. Really active creatures.