One more think our troops have to worry about--mutant fucking spiders

[Bucky]

from Coast to Coast AM
These are "camel spiders." According to the email accompanying these, "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."

Time to check Snopes. But even if that is an exaggeration... dayum!

[Bouncy Ball]

1. It's on snopes.

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

[LastKnight]

2. their real.

i donno about that description of them, but my uncle has seen them when he was over there. and as far as i know that picture isnt photoshopped, but i dont know for sure.

does that look like 2 spiders to anyone else. its got alot of legs, i thought one of the standards for something being a spider was the legs numbered only eight... im counting plenty more than that.

[Bouncy Ball]

5. It's two.

But the picture is taken really close up, look at the sleeve on the right-hand side for some perspective. That makes them look bigger.

The snopes article goes into more detail. They aren't nearly as scary as they look.

[madeline_con]

6. "does that look like 2 spiders to anyone else"

Yes. Maybe it's mating season. ???

[AlienGirl]

14. There are two in the picture

One is hanging onto the other with its jaws.

Tucker

[EstimatedProphet]

3. It's an exaggeration

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

[madeline_con]

9. Went there, saw this...

"(Note their size in comparison to the uniform sleeve which appears in upper right-hand portion of the picture.) "

Even so, that's no tiny arachnid. :scared:

[EstimatedProphet]

15. According to the site, they are 5-6 inches

the picture shows them at about 2 feet. Don't buy it, nope.

[madeline_con]

4. "But even if that is an exaggeration... dayum!"

That is, by far, the grossest creature I've seen in a very long while. Gives me the willies.

BUT.... "so you wake up with part of your leg or arm missing ..."

How much could it really eat at one sitting?

Gotta go, I feel things walking on me!

[Bucky]

7. OK, Snopes semi-debunked it. Photo's legit, description is fake. Duh.

Snopes says "Real picture; inaccurate description."

Claims of camel spiders being flesh-eating anesthesia-injecting beasts are folklore, not reality, so worry not that those serving in our country's armed forces in Iraq are having to deal with man-eating creepy-crawlies the size of small cats.

They're technically not spiders but solifugae (although, like spiders, they belong to the class Arachnida). Camel spiders are the subject of a variety of legendary claims...

...they capture prey without the use of either venom or anesthetic. Camel spiders rely on speed, stealth, and the (non-venomous) bite of powerful jaws to feed on small prey such as other arthropods (e.g., scorpions, crickets, pillbugs), lizards, and possibly mice or birds.

Stoopid Snopes. Ruins my fun every time.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

8. Sorry it's his sleve.

[AlienGirl]

10. Those are wind scorpions

Technically, solifugae. They aren't poisonous and don't eat people--their bite is painful, but not dangerous. They eat bugs and lizards and mice.

They're really awesome-looking, and I want one!!

Tucker

[BreweryYardRat]

11. Y'know, this reminds me of a thread of mine a month or two back...

I posted pics of a huntsman spider the size of a clock.

In other words, camel spiders ain't that bad.

[AlienGirl]

13. That spider was rad, too!

Okay, I like really BIG creepy-crawlies. I'd like a weta someday (the largest insect in the world), or maybe a Goliath beetle.

Tucker

[Lori Price CLG]

12. I saw the picture, and thought... Karl Rove. n/t

[Bucky]

16. no, no. These are caused by the Clenus.

[AlienGirl]

17. Poor solifugae! You've insulted them!!

[Bucky]

18. I just realized that camel spider post was my 4000th post at DU

I didn't mean to miss that mile stone. But I couldn't have picked a better post to hit it with.