Camel Spiders

Camel Spiders

As soon as I arrived in Abu Dhabi I was keen to get into the desert.

Being an arachnophobic, stories of camel spiders, that could grow as big as a dinner plate, suddenly had me thinking twice about a desert safari never mind actually camping in the desert overnight.

Camel Spiders aren't Spiders!

What I have since learned is that camel spiders aren't actually spiders they are solpugids, or solifugids. They are classified as Arachnida. Camel spiders are also known as wind scorpions or sun scorpions.

Facts & Myths

It seems that the rumours that camel spiders would eat human flesh were rumours started to scare new recruits into desert armies! Well it worked because these rumours scared me too!

But here are the Facts and the Myths
Myth Fact
Camel spiders can grow as large as dinner plates Camel spiders grow to a maximum of 6 inches
Camel spiders can jump several feet in the air Camel spiders don't jump
Camel spiders eat the stomachs of camels They do have over-sized jaws called chelicerae which have a pincer movement, but they are called camel spiders because they live in the desert and their back can appear humped.
Camel spiders have a powerful venom which anaesthetises their prey Camel spiders do not have a venom, they do have a powerful bite but would only bite prey bigger than themselves in self-defence

Now that you know camel spiders are no threat, check out the Desert Safari