What Makes a Camel Spider so Scary at a First Glance?

Lots of scary stories and myths about the camel spider often give people the creeps: the word goes that this species can eat out flesh portions after injecting a form of anesthetic in the victim's body, not to mention that its dimensions are truly impressive. The truth is somewhere in between: the camel spider lives in the Middle East countries, and it has become known in the United States and the rest of world after US troops have come across some specimens. The camel spider is even falsely called a spider, since the species is cataloged under a different name in the zoological categories.

More likel scorpions, the camel spider is part of an arachnid order known as the solifugae; they live in arid hot climates, including deserts from both the Northern and the Southern hemispheres. There are even some camel spider species with a more special habitat: they live in forests and in grassland. The unusual fact about these creatures is that they have a very large body and well developed sense organs similar to the insects' antennae. One other peculiarity of the camel spider is that it makes a rattling noise when moving around, which makes it all the more scary at a first glance.

Unlike other regular spider species, the camel spider is both carnivorous and omnivorous: it basically feeds on other arthropods, but it is not uncommon for the camel spider to devour larger prey such as lizards. Lots of videos with the camel spider cutting its prey into pieces and then consuming it, have been uploaded on the Internet. Moreover, it is also interesting to watch a fight between a scorpion and a camel spider, as the latter will most surely win in the majority of cases. As for the potential danger to humans, that does exist.

Normally, a camel spider will not attack a human being, but if one gets accidentally bitten, the condition can become very painful indeed. However, the bite is not as serious as that of a tarantula for instance, since the camel spider has no venom to inject. The only venomous species variety grows in India and it is not such a real threat to humans at all; moreover, the camel spider will not attack a prey that is larger than itself, hence the myths and rumors are definitely far-fetched and unworthy of consideration. You can be startled or scared by the mere appearance of the camel spider, but if you don't attempt to handle them, then, there is no danger whatsoever.