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  tt34992 months, 3 weeks ago

  Again I'm glad I live in a northern state where cold weather prevents bugs from growing gigantic! My daughter has a terantula but it stays locked up, literally!

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  LadyJade2 months, 3 weeks ago

  The camel spider in the video is tied down and being poked and prodded for human entertainment and we should fear THEM? I have had both numerous tarantulas and scorpions as pets and can vouch that we have very little to fear from them compared to what they have to fear from us. While I try to be compassionate towards the true arachanaphobe, most who fear and loath spiders do so because of ignorant and intollerant learned behavior, not because they are any real threat. These creatures are fascinating and actually do far more good for humans (mostly in consuming and controlling other bugs that are more harmful) than most will even grudgingly give them credit for. I believe that something else killed the dog in the story - the camel spider was just a conveinent scape-goat, and, I doubt that it "hitch-hiked", but rather was captured and brought here as a novelty.

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  leahone2 months, 3 weeks ago

  how cruel, that poor spider.....spiders do what spiders do....spiders do not attack unless provoked or threatened. I am sorry for the loss of their pet, but no life form should be tortured. Perhaps the spider does not have the capacity "to think"....I know some people who have the capacity and don't....but the little guy is struggling and that is not fair. Get your jollies somewhere else, pick on someone your own size.

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  SueMarie22 months, 3 weeks ago

  Per National Geographic:
  
  Camel spiders became an Internet sensation during the Iraq war of 2003, when rumors of their bloodthirsty nature began to circulate online. Many tales were accompanied with photos purporting to show spiders half the size of a human.
  
  For many years, Middle Eastern rumors have painted camel spiders as large, venomous predators, as fast as a running human, with a voracious appetite for large mammals. The myths are untrue. These creatures do not actually eat camels' stomachs or sleeping soldiers, and they are not so large—but the real camel spider is still an amazing predator.
  
  The camel spider's history of misinformation begins with a misidentification. Camel spiders are not even spiders. Like spiders, they are members of the class Arachnida, but they are actually solpugids.
  
  Camel spiders, also called wind scorpions and Egyptian giant solpugids (SAHL-pyoo-jids), are only about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. Photos that purport to show creatures six times that size have misleading perspective—the spider is invariably placed in the foreground where the lens makes it appear much bigger than its actual size. True, they are fast, but only compared to other arachnids. Their top speed is estimated at 10 miles (16 kilometers) per hour.
  
  Camel spiders are not deadly to humans (though their bite is painful), but they are vicious predators that can visit death upon insects, rodents, lizards, and small birds. These hardy desert dwellers boast large, powerful jaws, which can be up to one-third of their body length. They use them to seize their victims and turn them to pulp with a chopping or sawing motion. Camel spiders are not venomous, but they do utilize digestive fluids to liquefy their victims' flesh, making it easy to suck the remains into their stomachs.

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  mudmom2 months, 3 weeks ago

  I live in the desert around Desert Hot Springs , Ca. and I see these guys ALL the time . The largest being around 4 inches in length( so far) . I loathe spiders , but I try very hard not to kill these as they are very good at keeping my scorpion population in check. My first encounter with one was before I moved in and I came out to the house at night to check on the freshly painted walls. What I at first mistook for a scorpion( the wind spider ) was facing off a scorpion and it killed it and literally shredded it .I was engrossed , and impressed .I have a wonderful 'bug dog' who loves to corner them and will sit above them waiting for me to notice , so I can capture and release it into the wild ( very far away from my home , if you please ). I too, doubt that it was the spider that killed their dog, they are frightening , but are NOT venomous, nor do they attack. I have had one crawl across my hand and in my research on them have seen them being held. My dog holds them still by gently nudging them with his nose. Although I have to say here that he must have a very gentle energy as I have seen him do the same to scorpions and they don't sting him . All these critters are much more afraid of us than we are of them ( even the rattler that made it's way into my house ) and we should try to respect their place and function. Their camel spider is doomed , and I feel for it as it is a long way from its natural habitat and won't live long in the wild there. If it's body is thin it is more than likely a male ( no need to worry about eggs ) as the females have a longer and fatter back end -- sorry , not a scientist - I don't know the technical terms for the body parts

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