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Solifugae - aka. Camel spiders became an Internet sensation during the Iraq war of 2003, when rumors of their bloodthirsty nature began to circulate online (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted 6 months ago by decadentrebel@lemmy.world to c/creepywikipedia@lemmy.world
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[-] grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world 20 points 6 months ago

Here's a few rumors I heard about camel spiders while deployed to Iraq from '05 - '06:

They can run up to 25 mph

They can grow to the size of house cats

They aren't actually spiders or scorpions, they're their own weird type of insect, which leads some people to believe they're aliens

When they bite you, they inject you with a poison that numbs the bitten area, so you can't even tell you got bit

They will climb into your bunk at night and clip your hair with their jaws to line their nests

If you see a camel spider, don't shoot it because you're more likely to accidentally shoot your foot than the spider

[-] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago

The best part of ^that post is that it's posted by "grasshopper_mouse", a comparably weird desert critter!

[-] poweruser@lemmy.sdf.org 8 points 6 months ago

I knew a guy who knew a guy who had a friend who was in Iraq around the same time and he said his friend spotted a camel spider running toward them on its hind legs. He unloaded on it with a SAW and blew off a few limbs but it still didn't die!

-a totally true story, I'm sure

[-] grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

I believe it! :)

I did see a guy beat what was supposedly a baby camel spider with a pushbroom, and it didn't die, so he grabbed a foot locker and dropped it on top of it, and that definitely killed it.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 6 points 6 months ago

They will climb into your bunk at night and clip your hair with their jaws to line their nests

That's kind of a weird rumor to start considering military men don't have hair. I guess maybe it's to scare the ladies?

[-] grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

I dunno, I'm a lady and it didn't scare me. Most male soldiers had a high n' tight haircut, which leaves longer hair on the top of the head, about an inch in length at most. Also, barbers weren't exactly readily available all the time, and hair regulations kind of went out the window depending on your location in county.

[-] DarkThoughts@fedia.io 4 points 6 months ago

When they bite you, they inject you with a poison that numbs the bitten area, so you can't even tell you got bit

I mean, that sounds like a plus.

[-] Cypher@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

Camel spiders are most closely related to centipedes IIRC

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 15 points 6 months ago

This picture made its way around the internet, thoroughly horrifying most of us.

[-] stoly@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

The apparent size, as I understood, was a tick of the camera lens. They aren't really that large.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 7 points 6 months ago

Right. They're using lens foreshortening to make it appear much larger. But we didn't know that back then until after furiously googling in terror after seeing that picture.

[-] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

That picture is two of them together. They do get pretty big though.

[-] NeptuneOrbit@lemmy.world 11 points 6 months ago

The Wikipedia page makes them seem pretty mundane. Desert bugs that est other bugs and carrion. Most are apparently the size of scorpions or tarantulas?

[-] AlwaysNowNeverNotMe@kbin.social 10 points 6 months ago

They are also famous for chasing people because they want to hide in their shadows.

[-] PanoptiDon@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago

This happened to me in PSAB and scared the living shit out of me. They lift their front legs as they run at you.

[-] RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

I dont care what you say, BURN IT.

[-] DonPiano@feddit.de 5 points 6 months ago

.. Why? They seem harmless to humans.

[-] RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world -1 points 6 months ago

Did you not hear me? I do nit care, BURN THEM.

[-] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

It would be a great pity if you also got burnt in that fire but not a total surprise.

[-] ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works -1 points 6 months ago

On the plus side, it's big enough that I can justify shooting it

this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2024
57 points (92.5% liked)

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