# Camal Spider please help



## million1 (Jun 15, 2008)

hi, im looking for anyone who knows/keeps these creatures to please get in contact with me asap.

we are trying to capture one lose in a flat and need any ideas asap.

please call me on 07738151575

many thanks

max


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Good luck with that!

Unless you know where it is, then its going to pretty damn impossible. Keep all the doors closed and try to search one room at a time.


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## the-reptile-mafia (Jan 4, 2008)

I've heard these are impossible to catch once theyre loose, just dont err sleep in the room :lolsign:


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## jesuslovestheladies (Apr 30, 2008)

get a cat?


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## Poxicator (Nov 14, 2007)

If you know its still in the same room I'd suggest using double sided tape around the doorway to stop it moving to other rooms. Create a nice dark hide and gradually remove things from the room. If its found holes to escape then you don't have much chance, and neither does anything that comes in its path! LOL
GL


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## million1 (Jun 15, 2008)

jesuslovestheladies said:


> get a cat?


cat wont do im afraid its suspected of killed the dog they had.


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

I assume these are venemous then? Best of luck catching it


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

million1 said:


> cat wont do im afraid its suspected of killed the dog they had.


Not a chance.

They are not venomous at all. 

Your commonly available camel spiders WILL NOT have killed the dog. 

Jesus, if you believe that, then you shouldnt be keeping camel spiders.


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## Grumpymouth (Jun 28, 2007)

SHRIEK! Oh my god, the idea of having one of those b:censor:s loose in my flat is like living a nightmare - I've seen one eating a lizard on YouTube, that was enough for me...

It's actually giving me a worse feeling down my spine than the idea of licking a dry wooden spoon...:mf_dribble:


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

My little Yoji died this morning.

I can tell you now, after owning one that they are not that bad.


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## Lucifus (Aug 30, 2007)

Poxicator said:


> If you know its still in the same room I'd suggest using double sided tape around the doorway to stop it moving to other rooms.
> GL


If you want it to loose legs.


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## Grumpymouth (Jun 28, 2007)

GRB said:


> My little Yoji died this morning.
> 
> I can tell you now, after owning one that they are not that bad.


I'm sorry for your loss of Yoji - however it's just the idea of one being loose and about to run up your pant-leg at any moment, or waking up to find it straddling your face that scares me...shiver...I wouldn't mind one if it was in a secure tank!


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Grumpymouth said:


> I'm sorry for your loss of Yoji - however it's just the idea of one being loose and about to run up your pant-leg at any moment, or waking up to find it straddling your face that scares me...shiver...I wouldn't mind one if it was in a secure tank!


 
Yeah, it is scary being loose, but they wont eat your dog or bite your face off. 

For the sake of the camel spider, I hope they find it and dont do anything stupid with it.


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## million1 (Jun 15, 2008)

GRB said:


> Not a chance.
> 
> They are not venomous at all.
> 
> ...


quite true, but what you dont understand is that i or the flat owner dont keep them, it came back from iraq in a soldiers bag, the perfectly healthy dog found it, apparently the spider was right up against its nose, "hissed" or something similar. dog runs off, 2 days later the dog is put down.


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## Grumpymouth (Jun 28, 2007)

million1 said:


> quite true, but what you dont understand is that i or the flat owner dont keep them, it came back from iraq in a soldiers bag, the perfectly healthy dog found it, apparently the spider was right up against its nose, "hissed" or something similar. dog runs off, 2 days later the dog is put down.


Max, you're fuelling my nightmare - but you did answer the question I had running in my head, which was 'How the f:censor: does a camel spider get loose in someone's flat??!!'

It makes me glad to not be anywhere near Iraq, or indeed, the owners' flat...poor dog :sad:


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

million1 said:


> quite true, but what you dont understand is that i or the flat owner dont keep them, it came back from iraq in a soldiers bag, the perfectly healthy dog found it, apparently the spider was right up against its nose, "hissed" or something similar. dog runs off, 2 days later the dog is put down.


Ah, I thought this was a pet - are you wanting rid of it? I could take it off your hands if you find it.

Still, theres no way the solifuge killed the dog. They dont have venom, nor would a bite go un-noticed if it became septic (surely?).


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## jesuslovestheladies (Apr 30, 2008)

its more likely the dog caught a disease or soemthing of the nature by rumaging around in a bag that had come from a differnt country.

and as for the anesthetics and chewing up your legs crap, i dont believe it for a second.


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## Slinkies mum (Jul 15, 2008)

from what I know about them it will probably come looking for you. Their bite is necrotic and they hate humans.


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## jesuslovestheladies (Apr 30, 2008)

oh god... thats exactly what im talking about... that rumor makes me cry salty tears


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Slinkies mum said:


> from what I know about them it will probably come looking for you. Their bite is necrotic and they hate humans.


I hope thats a joke, otherwise your post reads:

"I know nothing about them. Here's some stuff I made up just now". :lol2:


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## jesuslovestheladies (Apr 30, 2008)

im sure its a joke, but if it isnt.... 

jesuslovestheladies reads on with salty tears...


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## Slinkies mum (Jul 15, 2008)

GRB said:


> I hope thats a joke, otherwise your post reads:
> 
> "I know nothing about them. Here's some stuff I made up just now". :lol2:


I'll bow to your superior knowlage, it's just what I saw on a tv doc a while back which I watched because a friend of mine was bitten by one whilst on overseas duty.:notworthy::notworthy::notworthy:


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## jesuslovestheladies (Apr 30, 2008)

it wasnt a joke?:shock: hmm... jesuslovestheladies reads on....


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Slinkies mum said:


> I'll bow to your superior knowlage, it's just what I saw on a tv doc a while back which I watched because a friend of mine was bitten by one whilst on overseas duty.:notworthy::notworthy::notworthy:


Lol, this reminds me of the alice cooper bit in wayne's world.:lol2:

However, basically all you stated was a myth....dont trust those damn TV shows! If you can hunt it down, grab a copy of Fred Punzo's book on the biology of camel spiders. It's a factual piece that should be in better circulation IMO. It'd do a lot to dispel the silly rumours about how dangerous they are...:2thumb:


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## million1 (Jun 15, 2008)

lol, thanks for all the help, so im looking for a non venomous spider with a necrosis causing bite that is suspected of killing a dog but wont eat a camel. they hide, but it will probably come looking for me as it hates humans. 


i have read elsewere that they have 2 sets of "teeth" a bit lke parrot beaks, they jump, can run at 15mph, chase shadows.........

so apart from the images i have found im still not sure what im expecting it to do if i find it.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

million1 said:


> lol, thanks for all the help, so im looking for a non venomous spider with a necrosis causing bite that is suspected of killing a dog but wont eat a camel. they hide, but it will probably come looking for me as it hates humans.
> 
> 
> i have read elsewere that they have 2 sets of "teeth" a bit lke parrot beaks, they jump, can run at 15mph, chase shadows.........
> ...


Thats all rubbish, lol. They have 2 chelicera, like all arachnids, its just the are bigger. Think of them being like scorpion claws. They dont jumop, they dont chase people and most of the time they try to flee. The bites are nasty, but not venomous or necrotic. 

If you find it, it will likely be cold and sluggish. Get a glass and some paper, and slide the paper beneath the glass with the solifuge in it. Then send it to me!


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## _TiMiSdRuNk_ (Aug 27, 2008)

*Camel spider! :O*

Lol i actually had one of these when they came over a few months back, to be honest it look stunning but was pretty boring really it never did well and died after two months! Worth the experiance though as they are pretty and mine wasn't as nasty as people say i used to touch it after a few beers :/ Oh good luck finding a lose one


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## Guest (Aug 27, 2008)

I remeber seeing one for the first time at my dads in Botswana. Normally creepy crawlies don't bother me. I had Mantids and scorpions and even a Baboon spider while I was there just bought in from the garden by the cat. But the Camel spider really freaked me out. I did literally jump from a seated position to stading on the chair and pointing. I won't tell you what happened to it but I can tell you for certain yours would not have killed a dog. Although the cat who looked after the spider did managed to take on a mongoose and survived. Oh and a baby Black Mamba. Now that is a beautiful creature.


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## Lizard Boy S (Feb 8, 2008)

good luck with finding it :2thumb:


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## Slinkies mum (Jul 15, 2008)

million1 said:


> lol, thanks for all the help, so im looking for a non venomous spider with a necrosis causing bite that is suspected of killing a dog but wont eat a camel. they hide, but it will probably come looking for me as it hates humans.
> 
> 
> i have read elsewere that they have 2 sets of "teeth" a bit lke parrot beaks, they jump, can run at 15mph, chase shadows.........
> ...


Yep think that just about sums it up glad we could help. Good luck

ps My son says they don't run at you, just at your shadow looking for cover from the sun.


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## cacoonkitty (Aug 10, 2008)

*camle spider*

I only had contact with one of these in iraq!! HORRID CREATURES!! one gave my crew a big eat mark in his face when he was asleep !! It was a big boy!! they can run super fast and are not poisonus at all but inject a local anasthetic type fluid into the area they are about to munch on!! good luck...id :lol2:get a hotel room!


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

cacoonkitty said:


> I only had contact with one of these in iraq!! HORRID CREATURES!! one gave my crew a big eat mark in his face when he was asleep !! It was a big boy!! they can run super fast and are not poisonus at all but inject a local anasthetic type fluid into the area they are about to munch on!! good luck...id :lol2:get a hotel room!


Im still dubious about the anesthetic...theres not any evidence in the science literature from the numerous species studied to agree with this. 

Theres no reason for them to attack large animals when insects are abundant - and thats from the experience of an arachnologist (on the ATS) who was in Afghanistan for several months with the troops. 

Unless you actually saw the camel spider eating your buddy's face, i'd suggest it was something else...too many rumours flying around tbh.


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## kamakazecat (Jun 8, 2008)

i tell ya ladies and gents, there are some right gullible sods out there at the moment.

had a good long rant at someone on youtube the other day for posting a "camel spider facts" video, when theyd obviously read that stupid chain email that went around a few years back.
christ they do my head in.

of all the creatures i want to go n research in the wild, once qualified, obviously, camel spiders top the list.

i want to go n study these guys in their natural habitat. see what we cant find out about them. i heard someone saying in an erlier solifugid thread about them suspecting theyr an annual species, living out their juvenile stages through winter then finishing the life cycle in the early summer, and that just really got me thinking. so little is known about these guys.


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## million1 (Jun 15, 2008)

kamakazecat said:


> i tell ya ladies and gents, there are some right gullible sods out there at the moment.
> 
> had a good long rant at someone on youtube the other day for posting a "camel spider facts" video, when theyd obviously read that stupid chain email that went around a few years back.
> christ they do my head in.
> ...


Good on ya dude,

i came on here "knowing" they put anesthetic in you then eat you while you are asleep. i say "knowing" because that was all the info i had ever heard on them and had never done any real research as i was not that interested in them. i started this thread hoping to find someone who breeds or keeps a lot of these or an importer or someone who could give me facts and figures so to speak. as it turns out it would appear that there is not much known about these at all, most people (like me) have only got heresay to go on and no real experiance. with so many contradicting opinions its quite hard to work out who knows what so i would suggest anyone who wants to know more looks up that punzo fellow's work. im not trying to "have a go" at any replies here, i appreciate anyone telling me what they know or think they know, but if i had asked a question like what to feed a red knee or something 9 people would say crickets (or whatever you feed them) and 1 would of said steak and chips so its easier to see the way ahead and who knows what is fact through experiance.

crack on with the reaserch mate and write a book like punzo (i bet i keep getting his name wrong) to get more info out there for us all to rely on.

thanks for all your help here, i will let you know how i get on with the hunt tonight. :no1:


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## Doodles (Aug 4, 2007)

BBC NEWS | England | Essex | Spider forces family out of home


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## Parky (Jul 6, 2008)

Doodles said:


> BBC NEWS | England | Essex | Spider forces family out of home


 Oh wow!
GL finding that thing!!


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## million1 (Jun 15, 2008)

yep, thats the one im going in for.


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## spend_day (Apr 10, 2008)

saw this on the news this morning and wondered if it was the same one.

good luck


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

Giant Spider Bit Pet Dog To Death - Yahoo! News UK


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## matto2k (Nov 30, 2006)

if you still havent found it try sealing each room turn off the heating and make a warm spot in each room with a hide it'll soon find it and be easy to catch. dont bother turning the house upside down just bait it out.

suprised it survived the trip back would of thought the cold trip on a plane back would of killed it


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

matto2k said:


> if you still havent found it try sealing each room turn off the heating and make a warm spot in each room with a hide it'll soon find it and be easy to catch. dont bother turning the house upside down just bait it out.
> 
> suprised it survived the trip back would of thought the cold trip on a plane back would of killed it


 
Sound advice.

Thats sounds like a great plan:no1:


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## webby06_2007 (Jul 15, 2008)

u will need someone to come out and gas the house will kill everything that breaths but u wont be able to go back in the house for a wile


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## berksmike (Jan 2, 2008)

My Dad worked out in Saudi Arabia and Yemen for a number of years where these are very common.
He did say they could be quite large and aggresive and that they look bloody frightening.
From what he gathered tho he said a lot of the things said about the camel; spiders were local misinformation to frighten tourists and now, the military.
Still I wouldn't fancy one of these running round my front room.... We did have a mouse problem last year - I'm sure that would have solved it.

Found this video on Youtube of one in Iraq:
YouTube - camel spider

You can see why some people would believe some of the stories!


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

That yahoo article is absolute bull. 

Gets me angry to hear such nonsense made up about them. Good luck finding it - if you do find it alive, please let me know. I will gladly take it off your hands for you.


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## Cowgal (Jul 4, 2007)

Sticky feet....Get them from Rentokill, they are used to catch rats and mice in big stores like Asda. Not nice things; you will need to kill the spider once its caught though, as this is clearly *not* a humane way to catch it. But in these circumstances it has to be caught as panic has/ will set in. If you cant get Rentokill ask the managers in Asda/ Tesco etc. For a few, they are really really sticky and ALL other amimals must be removed from the premises for obvious reasons.
I'm sure under these circumstances Rentokill will give you them if you ask them (without a contract)

I know lots of people will scream at me for this but it has to be caught.

And before any one asks I used to work in Prestos (a few years ago) an early version of Morrisons and this is how they catch stuff coming off the crates.


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## fantail (Aug 12, 2008)

*Ouch*

And here is the article itself.not only in sun but other newspapers.

Afghan mega-spider bit dog to death | The Sun |News|Campaigns|Our Boys



Hmm found this to. 


Venom controversy
While the absence of venom in Solifugae is a long-established fact[1], there is a single published study of one species, _Rhagodes nigrocinctus_, carried out in India in 1978 by a pair of researchers who did histological preparations of the chelicerae, and found what they believed to be epidermal glands[3]. Extracts from these glands were then injected into lizards, where it induced paralysis in 7 of 10 tests. While this study has never been confirmed, and while other researchers have been unable to locate similar glands in other species, this particular species does appear to possess venom, although it is not known if there is any mechanism for introducing it into prey (recall that the researchers manually injected it into lizards).


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

just send them a message exdplaining about camel spiders, and how crap the article is, and the sun is in general. and how its doing nothing but keeping a percentage of the population running around themselves banging ther heads with big sticks through fear.lol
holding up the advancement of mankind:devil:


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

Telling the sun how incorrect they are will do no good whatsoever CStrike  they recently published a story about a kinkajou owned by a member here and when people tried to correct the factually incorrect bits, they deleted the posts on the forum and ignored all correspondance


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## vawn (Jul 1, 2008)

I htink that it is quite a cool spider. Wouldn't want to keep one, but cool none the less
:blush:


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

brittone05 said:


> Telling the sun how incorrect they are will do no good whatsoever CStrike  they recently published a story about a kinkajou owned by a member here and when people tried to correct the factually incorrect bits, they deleted the posts on the forum and ignored all correspondance


Im sure your right tbh, they are crap


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## jesuslovestheladies (Apr 30, 2008)

as mentioned yesterday, get a cat.


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## matto2k (Nov 30, 2006)

any way i'd rather have a camel spider running around then some of the really nasty things that could of been brought back instead. 

and i bet there wont be any mice or bugs left in the house now :2thumb: cause them things love there food


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## spend_day (Apr 10, 2008)

jesuslovestheladies said:


> as mentioned yesterday, get a cat.


 or a meerkat


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## liam.b (Sep 2, 2006)

there was a thing in the paper about a camel spider today, apparently it came back in this guys backpack got out bite their dog and killed it :s nasty things!


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## vawn (Jul 1, 2008)

liam.b said:


> there was a thing in the paper about a camel spider today, apparently it came back in this guys backpack got out bite their dog and killed it :s nasty things!


doh!:banghead:


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## bug man (Aug 4, 2008)

*c*

Good luck but your pritty doomed you neva now you might find it when your a sleep and its chomping on you leg or arm! There monsters!


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

bug man said:


> Good luck but your pritty doomed you neva now you might find it when your a sleep and its chomping on you leg or arm! There monsters!


:lol2:, hope your messing, lol they dont actually do that:lol2:


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

so seriously are we talking about the SAME now famous Camel spider who is like the most wanted Invert in England? Don't mess with him, the Sun newspaper never ever ever lies! First we killed, probably shot, your dog. Then he drives you out of your home, tbh i wouldn't be surprised if he has WMD's.


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## SiUK (Feb 15, 2007)

million1 said:


> cat wont do im afraid its suspected of killed the dog they had.


 :lol2: yeah right


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## spend_day (Apr 10, 2008)

SiUK said:


> :lol2: yeah right


according to one paper (the mail)


> 'The vet said they wouldn't know without an autopsy but said there could have been an underlying condition which was brought on with the stress of it all.'


 but the woman said OH NO its too much of a coincidence

oh and we have Iain Newby of Essex's Dangerous and Wild Animals Rescue Facility for all these venomous claims after they said


> "It is venomous but would not kill you."


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## vawn (Jul 1, 2008)

I was under the impression all spiders have venom, even in tiny amounts, just some don't have a delivery system


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

spend_day said:


> according to one paper (the mail) but the woman said OH NO its too much of a coincidence
> 
> oh and we have Iain Newby of Essex's Dangerous and Wild Animals Rescue Facility for all these venomous claims after they said


Until iv seen a peer reviewed study, i wholey dispute this Iain Newby, iv enver heard anything about this other than myth and urban legends#


Oh and GRB, you might be able to help that thread in the snake section too if you can be arsed:whistling2:


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## Sid.lola (Jan 10, 2008)

vawn said:


> I was under the impression all spiders have venom, even in tiny amounts, just some don't have a delivery system


I though a camel spid was a scorpion though


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## spend_day (Apr 10, 2008)

Sid.lola said:


> I though a camel spid was a scorpion though


its neither its a Solifugae


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

vawn said:


> I was under the impression all spiders have venom, even in tiny amounts, just some don't have a delivery system


Some of the ancient spiders do not contain venom at all,
they are the segmented species of sub-order Mesothelae,
Out of the three contained families, only the genus Liphistius still exists, the others are now extinct.
these posses no glands, nor ducts to transport the venom.
they are considered a very primitive spider.


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## vawn (Jul 1, 2008)

Sid.lola said:


> I though a camel spid was a scorpion though


some sort of false scorpion or whip scorpion?


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## vawn (Jul 1, 2008)

wow, that makes me want one even more!


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

Arachnida contains


Amblypygi - Tailless whipscorps
Aranae - Spiders
Opiliones - Harvestmen
Palpigradi - pseudo whipscorps
Pseudoscorpionida - Pseudoscorps
Ricineuli - spiderticks
Schizomida - divided segmented whipscorps
Scorpiones - Scorpions
Solifugae - Camel spiders
Uropygi - whipscorps
Acarina - Mites and ticks

and an extinct one, trigonoptada or something


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## lizkitten (Aug 15, 2008)

*bosh*

Urban legends
Solifugae are the subject of many urban legends and exaggerations about their size, speed, behavior, appetite, and lethality. They are not especially large, the biggest having a leg span of perhaps 12 centimeters (5 in). They are fast on land compared to other invertebrates, the fastest can run perhaps 16 kilometers per hour (10 mph), nearly half as fast as the fastest human sprinter. Members of this order of Arachnida apparently have no venom, with the possible exception of one species in India (see below) and do not spin webs.
In the Middle East, it is widely rumored among American and coalition military forces stationed there that Solifugae will feed on living human flesh. The story goes that the creature will inject some anaesthetizing venom into the exposed skin of its sleeping victim, then feed voraciously, leaving the victim to awaken with a gaping wound. Solifugae, however, do not produce such an anaesthetic, and they do not attack prey larger than themselves unless threatened. Other stories include tales of them leaping into the air, disemboweling camels, screaming, and running alongside moving humvees; all of these tales are dubious at best. Due to their bizarre appearance many people are startled or even afraid of them. This fear was sufficient to drive a family from their home when one was discovered in a soldier's house in Colchester [2]. The greatest threat they pose to humans, however, is their bite in self-defense when one tries to handle them. There is essentially no chance of death directly caused by the bite, but, due to the strong muscles of their chelicerae, they can produce a proportionately large, ragged wound that is prone to infection.


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## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

cacoonkitty said:


> I only had contact with one of these in iraq!! HORRID CREATURES!! one gave my crew a big eat mark in his face when he was asleep !! It was a big boy!! they can run super fast and are not poisonus at all but inject a local anasthetic type fluid into the area they are about to munch on!! good luck...id :lol2:get a hotel room!


Who are all these moron trolls suddenly appearing sparting off bullsh!te and scaremongering.


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## jesuslovestheladies (Apr 30, 2008)

well Cstrikes nailed it on the head, case closed.:devil:


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## million1 (Jun 15, 2008)

well im afraid to say the spider hunt has been called off tonight for unknow reasons.

we believe its probably because the family are liking all the media attention one of them was on radio2 earlier and they have been in various papers and news programs.

if i get the nod to go back in i will let you know how we get on.

bit dissapointed if im honest, as if its left too long it will probably die and its not every day you get to pit your wits against a wild camel spider in the uk!!!!


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## million1 (Jun 15, 2008)

oh and a quick note regarding the dog, i have been informed that the vets have said they found the dog to have a swollen stomach and no white blood cells.

this means nothing to me but im sure some of you will have an opinion on wether or not this would/could have been caused by the spider.

have fun with that


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## Fatpower (Aug 17, 2007)

I know this is an unusual situation but surely the media have gone WAY over board with this? Yeah its a shame about the dog and I honestly dont know if its to do with the solifuge but moving out is so dramatic, its just ridiculous!!

You encounter 100's of things every day which can potentially kill you and this isnt one of them v_v

Also someone mentioned the solifuge maybe dying from the cold? dont some of these middle eastern countries get freezing in the night? or am I just really wrong...


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## Sephiroth (May 1, 2007)

I just saw this on the news and was about to post the link 

I am both laughing my ass off and furious at the same time :censor:

HOW can they make up such a BS story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sure a solifuge did escape in the house, but killed the dog with its lethal venom?!?!?!? Give me a break!

Mad :devil: but laughing! :lol2:


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## gtm (Jan 23, 2008)

The GI's in Iraq are convinced they are venomous. Laying my cards on the table I know absolutely nothing about them (& I don't want to either:mf_dribble


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## Guest (Aug 28, 2008)

vawn said:


> I was under the impression all spiders have venom, even in tiny amounts, just some don't have a delivery system


 
Is this like Ricky Gervais and the Daddy long legs? :lol2: The most poisonous venom know to man but no way of using it.


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## jesuslovestheladies (Apr 30, 2008)

take it thats bs too then?..


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

million1 said:


> oh and a quick note regarding the dog, i have been informed that the vets have said they found the dog to have a swollen stomach and no white blood cells.
> 
> this means nothing to me but im sure some of you will have an opinion on wether or not this would/could have been caused by the spider.
> 
> have fun with that


Swollen stomach and no white blood cells is the sign of something other than envenomation. 

No white blood cells is an indication of bone marrow or thymus defects (either acute or chronic). Or Leukemia. Could be others, but im no vet.

Thats about as far as I know, but I do know that solfuges produce no venom. Its all BS IMO.


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## Starshine Tara (Jun 22, 2008)

million1 said:


> i have read elsewere that they have 2 sets of "teeth" a bit lke parrot beaks, they jump, can run at 15mph, chase shadows.........


No, no, no! :naughty:

They don't _chase_ shadows, they _are_ the shadows! :twisted:

Tara xxx

:lol2:


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## Starshine Tara (Jun 22, 2008)

Found this btw:

Camel Spider THE Picture everyone is talking about.

Tara xxx


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## Steve 88 (Jan 21, 2008)

bloody hell my dad came in and said 'this will interest you, apparently a camel spider killed a dog that got loose in someones house, it in the news.' or something along those lines, i then had to put him straight lol


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## TheSpiderShop (Apr 5, 2006)

I bet is just a large male house spider. It probably dried up a died within days.


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## MrEd (Jul 12, 2008)

GRB said:


> Not a chance.
> 
> They are not venomous at all.
> 
> ...


I thought all they did was 'inject' you with a numbing agent so they can eat you (obviously you being its normal prey food lol)

anyway good luck capturing it, pictures when you do pls!!


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

MrEd said:


> I thought all they did was 'inject' you with a numbing agent so they can eat you (obviously you being its normal prey food lol)
> 
> anyway good luck capturing it, pictures when you do pls!!


Read my post in the snake section thread of the same story...

Basically, they do not produce anesthetic.


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## cacoonkitty (Aug 10, 2008)

*camle spider*

im no expert on spiders as i dont really like them(im australian so i have good reason not too ) !!so what you say is fair enough bud, but we did actually catch the creature that morning next to his bunk, it wasnt like he had eaten half my fellow soldiers face off or any thing just a small little area and you could see the bite mark , and there were other people that had this happen to them too so i do belive that they did bite them ,the spider was only about the size of a large u.k house spider but we did see much larger on our trips, they were only in the areas with a little grass and higher humidity, and cant half run scary little devils though and cant half put up a good fight!!!!! :whip::devil:


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

cacoonkitty said:


> im no expert on spiders as i dont really like them(im australian so i have good reason not too ) !!so what you say is fair enough bud, but we did actually catch the creature that morning next to his bunk, it wasnt like he had eaten half my fellow soldiers face off or any thing just a small little area and you could see the bite mark , and there were other people that had this happen to them too so i do belive that they did bite them ,the spider was only about the size of a large u.k house spider but we did see much larger on our trips, they were only in the areas with a little grass and higher humidity, and cant half run scary little devils though and cant half put up a good fight!!!!! :whip::devil:


Im still skeptical.

The fact that you found the spider next to his bed isnt 100% proof - if they are as common as people say they are, then you could find one easily by accident in his room. Without seeing a picture of the bites, I couldnt confirm otherwise that they were or were notmade by a solifuge - perhaps it could be one of the other numerous biting animals or even rats? I dont know what else occurs out there, but its prudent to keep an open mind and disregard the myths for a moment. 

The other thing: I've kept one, and watched it eat numerous times, as well as watched videos and spoken to other keepers. No-one has ever reported any sort of anesthetic produced, or the creature perhaps "salivating" onto prey items and then eating them. Think about it; anesthetic only works at a certain speed. If this animal bit you with those jaws, anesthetic or not, you'd feel it. Otherwise, it would have to apply anesthetic first, then attack, which is something no-one has ever seen in countless captive or wild animals. Add this to the scientists who study them; none have ever reported such a feeding behaviour. 

Why does this not occur in the US where camel spiders occur naturally as well? It only seems to be localised to troops, which I find dubious. 

Also, heres the other thing; No other arachnid has been observed to eat human flesh. If what you are saying is true, camel spiders would be the only arachnids to eat human flesh. Flesh that doesnt behave like (insect) prey in any way - its huge compared to the solifuge and fairly motionless on the small scale. Another facet is that ALL arachnids (besides the opiliones) cannot ingest solid particles and have to eat fluids. A solifgue would have to cut off pieces of skin and then macerate them in order to consume them; how likely is it that you wouldnt feel this?

Again, just to reiterate, no study of morphology has ever found anesthetic producing glands or poison glands in the solifuge. 1000's of specimens exist in collections and a huge selection of species have been dissected. The evidence simply isnt there. I think another culprit is to blame.


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## cacoonkitty (Aug 10, 2008)

yep what you say is very true,: victory: there is no evidence i have seen on those creepy little guys ,we were just given pre-op breifings on the insect life out in iraq and the rest of the things we needed to know abaout and those spiders were mentioned but i still think they are the scariest spiders i have ever had contact with!! and unfortunatly being an Auzzie i have had contact with quite a few BIG-UNS and they top it for scaryness and hardness ,those boys cant have pack a punch :blowup:!! some of those spiders we saw were boomig huge out there!! one fell from our cam net one morning when we were packing up our sight and it must have beena good 11 inches accross!! huge!! scared everone to death and they hiss too ! 
sorry ,im a lizard person ,i am scared stiff of hairy spiders!!:lol2:


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