Saturday, February 23, 2008

Camel spiders

Have you seen this picture and read the usual accompanying story about "camel spiders" or "Fallujah spiders" in Iraq that anesthetize and eat people alive? This is a hoax. The arachnids in the picture are not spiders, they are solpugids and they have no venom. They eat roly-poly bugs, crickets, and scorpions. And they aren't just in Iraq; they are found in deserts. There are some in the southwest U.S. Also, notice that the picture was taken to make these arachnids look bigger. Compare them to the partial hand on the right instead of the leg behind.

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