Categories

WHAT IS THIS???
August 1, 2009
I found this in my bathroom, alone, no other bugs near it. It was walking alone along the floor. It is terrifying, giant, and pure evil. It has jaws that could rip a man in two. ( the whole bug is just over an inch long)
Addison P.
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Solpugid

Hi Addison,
Luckily, you are too large to be considered prey for the Solpugid which is perfectly harmless to humans as it contains no venom.  The same claim cannot be made to creatures small enough to be consumed.  Here is Charles Hogue’s vivid description of the feeding habits of a Solpugid as quoted from his awesome book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin:  “All of our species are nocturnal, wandering by night in search of the small invertebrate animals that are their prey.  They are extremely voracious carnivores and crush and tear captive organisms to shreds with their huge jaws.”  You need not fear your home being invaded by cockroaches if you allow the Solpugid to prowl around at night.  Solpugids are commonly called Sun Spiders or Wind Scorpions, and species from the Middle East, which are considerably larger than our North American species, are called Camel Spiders.  There is much misinformation online regarding Camel Spiders.  Somewhere, buried in our archives, we even have the notorious image that was making internet rounds many years ago.

Related Posts

1. Solpugid from Costa Rica (January 29, 2008)
2. Solpugid in Tanzania (December 6, 2007)
3. Solpugid: AKA Sand Puppy (November 18, 2007)
4. Solpugid or Sun Spider (November 9, 2008)
5. Solpugid (June 24, 2009)