7/26/2023 0 Comments Wolf spider imagesBut urban legends never die – there's always someone who swears it happened to an unnamed "friend.If the mere *thought* of a spider crawling on your skin makes you shiver, same! But if you’re dealing with an actual spider bite, you may start to panic-they can be painful, itchy, and super uncomfortable. No one has ever explained how they measured speed or jumping height, and of course no one has ever produced a specimen found eating human or camel flesh. One person offered to have his brother in Iraq send me a 30-cm specimen, but backed down when the brother claimed he couldn't get an export permit. But that doesn't oblige me to believe every tall tale I hear from someone who never, under any circumstances, can give the name of the person it happened to! If the source is an unnamed person ("my nephew," "someone who just returned from Iraq," "shepherds we spoke to," "a Marine," "an airman,"), that's not evidence! And why not? They deserve all the diversions they can get. I have the utmost respect for soldiers but I also know a few, and know that one of their favorite pastimes is sitting around spinning yarns. I have received (by email) a lot of abuse for doubting these stories – mainly from civilians who probably think it's unpatriotic to doubt the word of a soldier. Any ill effects could be prevented with disinfectant.) See this article for National Geographic's take on camel spider myths. They positively have no venom, and no way to inject it even if they did have it! (If they bite and manage to break the skin, the wound is likely to be infected, and such cases may have started some of the stories. Their anatomy and physiology are well known. The species in Iraq were studied in Iraq by British scientists during the 39 years (1919-58) the country was under British control. Some species can produce a barely audible stridulation (sounding like a buzz or hiss). When they run toward someone standing in the hot desert sun (or toward their camel or into their tent) they are seeking out shade to hide in. ![]() They lay their eggs in the soil, not in camels! They are predatory and do not feed off large animals like camels or humans. Any jumping ability they might have is nothing special. The maximum speed cited in scientific sources is ten miles per hour, and the only accurately measured speeds I could find were less than 1 mile per hour. This builds on a previous myth that spread during the Gulf War. 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).If they bite you, the flesh and muscle fall off, leaving a hole.They will chase you down like a hungry lion.They can jump 4 to 6 feet straight up in the air.They can traverse desert sand at speeds up to 25 miles per hour, making screaming noises as they run. ![]() They attach themselves to the under belly of camels and lay eggs under the skin.They call them camel spiders because they eat the stomachs of camels.Then, in follow-up messages, the wild claims started to pile up! ![]() Mass emailed in April 2004 (faked by false perspective solpugids appear 8-10 times life size).
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