Something scarier than terrorists in Iraq

[dalebert]

Camel spiders! This thing doesn't look like anything from our planet.

[youtube=425,350]XOXvdfcct8g[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOXvdfcct8g

[Puke]

Yeah, those things suck.
I saw more of them in Afghanistan than I did in Iraq, oddly enough.

The one in the video is decent size, but some of them bodies about six inches and then the giant legs that add a couple more inches. They move like lightning too.

One buddy of mine was chasing one in our hangar in Iraq last year. Next thing he new, it had disappeared!
He found it about 10 minutes later when he took his BDU top off! Somehow, the fucking thing ran up his leg and hid  on the inside of his jacket without him noticing!
Creepy fuckers indeed. I always made sure to check the inside of my boots in the morning.

[kola]

he or she is beautiful...

no need for torture.

let er go free.

that is why I never visit zoo's.

I cannot bear to see a wild mountain lion pacing back in forth in a cage. sad.

all for human pleasure and entertainment?

no thanks,

all living creatures deserve freedom.

Kola

[Kat Kanning]

That kinda made the hairs on my head stand up.  What jaws!

[EJinCT]

Yeah, those things suck.
I saw more of them in Afghanistan than I did in Iraq, oddly enough.

The one in the video is decent size, but some of them bodies about six inches and then the giant legs that add a couple more inches. They move like lightning too.

One buddy of mine was chasing one in our hangar in Iraq last year. Next thing he new, it had disappeared!
He found it about 10 minutes later when he took his BDU top off! Somehow, the fucking thing ran up his leg and hid  on the inside of his jacket without him noticing!
Creepy fuckers indeed. I always made sure to check the inside of my boots in the morning.

We have tarantulas that size in the S.W.

Are those Camel spiders dangerous? I take it that they are not aggressive, since that one chose to hide instead of attack.

all living creatures deserve freedom.

If I find a spider in the house I always relocate it. IMO, they provide too much benefit to just indiscriminately kill.

I don't even like to kill pest insects. 

[Raineyrocks]

he or she is beautiful...

no need for torture.

let er go free.

that is why I never visit zoo's.

I cannot bear to see a wild mountain lion pacing back in forth in a cage. sad.

all for human pleasure and entertainment?

no thanks,

all living creatures deserve freedom.

Kola

  I couldn't watch more than 2 seconds of the video, it made me sad.  I bet when bugs look at us we're quite ugly and scary too!   I will admit totally that the Camel spider would scare me but I wouldn't want to kill him unless he was going to hurt me or the kids, oh yeah, and Rick.

There was a huge spider in our house one time and one of the kids put him in a can you could hear the "clunk", when they put him in the can and then they took him to a tree outside.  He was so big I could see him from inside the house, sitting on the tree.

Shouldn't I kill spiders that have markings on them though?  Doesn't that mean they are poisonous?    I do hate killing anything but what if that "anything" could bite one of the kids and their poisonous?

[Puke]

Camel spiders are mostly harmless. Just creepy as hell.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/camelspider.asp

The worst encounter I had with an arthropod was in Afghanistan.
I awoke one night to the sensation of something crawling on my foot. Naturally, all sorts of horrible images explode into the mind at that point. But I couldn't find anything at the bottom of my sleeping-bag. A few minutes later I felt it again! Now I was thoroughly spooked.
While looking this second time the critter came straight at my face!

What was it? The most terrifying bug in existence....a small moth. 
Needless to say, I slept little that night.

[Raineyrocks]

Camel spiders are mostly harmless. Just creepy as hell.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/camelspider.asp

The worst encounter I had with an arthropod was in Afghanistan.
I awoke one night to the sensation of something crawling on my foot. Naturally, all sorts of horrible images explode into the mind at that point. But I couldn't find anything at the bottom of my sleeping-bag. A few minutes later I felt it again! Now I was thoroughly spooked.
While looking this second time the critter came straight at my face!

What was it? The most terrifying bug in existence....a small moth. 
Needless to say, I slept little that night.

That's funny, a moth of all things that it could've been!

[EJinCT]

Shouldn't I kill spiders that have markings on them though?  Doesn't that mean they are poisonous?    I do hate killing anything but what if that "anything" could bite one of the kids and their poisonous?

Not all marked spiders are dangerous and there are poisonous spiders w/o markings. Maybe consider researching what species of spiders are located in your area? That way you can make an informed decision about a proper course of action.

I camped in the South West for a couple years and never found myself in a position where I was forced to kill a spider; ( think black widows and brown recluses; the browns being vastly more dangerous as they are highly aggressive even when unprovoked.) 

Honestly I think mosquitoes and ticks present much more of a danger than spiders; and guess what spiders eat? 

Of course if you feel threatened, do what you need to.

[dalebert]

Honestly I think mosquitoes and ticks present much more of a danger than spiders; and guess what spiders eat? 

It's considered bad luck to kill a spider. I wonder if the origin of that belief is tied to things like this.

[EJinCT]

From what I have learned; most myths, folklore, etc. have some basis in "truth"; so that is a very good possibility.

[kola]

do they have camel toe too?

heehee

Kolanut

[KBCraig]

Honestly I think mosquitoes and ticks present much more of a danger than spiders; and guess what spiders eat? 

It's considered bad luck to kill a spider. I wonder if the origin of that belief is tied to things like this.

From what I have learned; most myths, folklore, etc. have some basis in "truth"; so that is a very good possibility.

Since the things spiders eat are vectors for disease, it's an excellent possibility. It's a traditional saying that healthy homes and barns have spider webs.

[Raineyrocks]

Shouldn't I kill spiders that have markings on them though?  Doesn't that mean they are poisonous?    I do hate killing anything but what if that "anything" could bite one of the kids and their poisonous?

Not all marked spiders are dangerous and there are poisonous spiders w/o markings. Maybe consider researching what species of spiders are located in your area? That way you can make an informed decision about a proper course of action.

I camped in the South West for a couple years and never found myself in a position where I was forced to kill a spider; ( think black widows and brown recluses; the browns being vastly more dangerous as they are highly aggressive even when unprovoked.) 

Honestly I think mosquitoes and ticks present much more of a danger than spiders; and guess what spiders eat? 

Of course if you feel threatened, do what you need to.


That's a good idea I will look up species of spiders here, I can even make it a homeschool project so my son can join me. Thanks!

We have a spider that has built his web in the back corner of our mailbox and I'm so careful when I get the mail out because this spider is pretty nasty looking, but I don't want to kill him either.  Gosh, I hope it's not a girl pregnant spider, then all of the babies will build webs in the mailbox too, right?

[dalebert]

We have a spider that has built his web in the back corner of our mailbox and I'm so careful when I get the mail out because this spider is pretty nasty looking, but I don't want to kill him either.  Gosh, I hope it's not a girl pregnant spider, then all of the babies will build webs in the mailbox too, right?

Didn't you see Charlotte's Web? They will make little web parachutes and blow away.