gross arachnid that's new to me!

[frshwaterfinatc]

I was surfing around looking for articles about animals when I found this photo. If I ever saw one of these in person without it being in a cage or some sort of confinement, I don't know WHAT I'd do.


http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_camel_spider.htm

 

[lmw80]

well..I am not scared of spiders....but I certainly would be scared if that thing came towards me!!

 

[oscarbreeder]

WOW!!!!!

Thats a big spider.

 

[TankGirl]

I don't care if they do or don't eat camels - they look like they could! Yikes!

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

I'm so so happy that we don't have these wandering around. Even if they are harmless- they're still so creepy looking. Can you imagine if they got into your house?? I'd got INSANE!

 

[QTOFFER]

I don't have sneakers big enough to squish a spider that size.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

Ugh. Think of the mess it'd make, anway. 8O

 

[jennymit21]

ewwwww! 8O i have arachnaphobia...i would DIE or completely lose it if i ever stumbled across one (literally or figuratively) i got queesy just looking at them.

 

[Toirtis]

Eremobates ('camel spiders') are a fascinating Arthropod..I have kept a few in the past, and we have at least one native species here in Alberta, Canada.

 

[Menagerie]

we have at least one native species here in Alberta, Canada

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

we have at least one native species here in Alberta, Canada

I second Menengerie's motion. Do they ever get in your house?

 

[Toirtis]

we have at least one native species here in Alberta, Canada

I second Menengerie's motion. Do they ever get in your house?

No...I do not live in the right area of the province (they occur south and east of here), and I have never heard of any entering a house...the terrain is just too inhospitable for them, I supect.

A pic of one of Alberta's natives:

 

[Toirtis]

we have at least one native species here in Alberta, Canada

So, you ould probably be equally amused to hear of this Alberta native....Paruroctonus boreas:

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

Oh, yes. Lovely.

My.

Well, I noticed you studied Zoology! I studied some in my freshmen year of college- just at home. Very interesting! I also took Marine Biology and Botany.
The animal kingdom has always fascinated me.

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

There are scorpions all over here, and I hate them. My friend had a most wonderful time when one hid in her shoe. She put them on and met the criminal foot to foot. This is the same friend who went into the ocean on one of FL's beaches and immediately was stung by a stingray. Same foot.

 

[Toirtis]

Been stung by scorpions (fortunately, only emporer and Asian forests), and jellyfish, but never by a ray...thank god...those guys can do some serious damage.

 

[deli_conker]

I was watching a special on PBS where these guys were doing some excavation in the middle east (sorry, can't remember which country) when the "leader" had his first encounter with camel spiders.

The way he described it, their bite contains an anasthetic, so it numbs you as it bites. They don't spin webs, they hunt their prey. His first meeting (so to speak) was when one of the diggers, who was sleeping outside, woke up the next morning missing most of his nose and part of his cheek.

Sounds like a crazy spider story to me, but I don't think PBS would air it if they didn't research it first...

 

[rubysoho]

yup, that is true, I have a friend in the army and he said that was what they were taught about those spiders (he may be heading off to Iraq soon ). I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing those spiders were around.

 

[krap101]

my friends dad said he saw like a caravan of em crawling around

 

[Toirtis]

yup, that is true, I have a friend in the army and he said that was what they were taught about those spiders (he may be heading off to Iraq soon ). I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing those spiders were around.

No it isn't....none of that is even marginally correct....all fabricated rubbish.