Huge spiders found in Iraq by US soldiers

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2004-04-14 07:57pm

Wow...that's pretty big.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2004-04-14 10:04pm

The thing about Solifugae/Sun Spiders/Camel Spiders that gets me is their jaws...
They have a great fangedy mouth with four fangs to chew with, if you've ever seen one eat you'll know what I mean.

We have them here in Arizona, but they're only an inch or so long, but they have bigger jaws in relative comparison to the species in the OP.
Some people mistakenly call them Vinegaroons, a true Vinegaroon is a lot more like a scorpion.

Being an arachnophobe, I take a lot of interest in these critters, and we get Black Widows, Tarantulas, Scorpions (which don't bother me, phobia wise), and the Sun Spiders...All of which I've had up close and personal encounters with. *shudders*

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-04-14 10:19pm

Being non-phobic, I can say that it can run at me all it wants, I'll just stomp it. Come on, its little compared to us, depends upon a breakable exoskeleton, and has a build and leg structure that doesn't exactly suggest great jumping ability. Jump up with both feet and come down hard. It isn't all that difficult. Grenades, feh.

Comosicus · Post by **Comosicus** » 2004-04-15 01:57am

Rogue 9 wrote:Being non-phobic, I can say that it can run at me all it wants, I'll just stomp it. Come on, its little compared to us, depends upon a breakable exoskeleton, and has a build and leg structure that doesn't exactly suggest great jumping ability. Jump up with both feet and come down hard. It isn't all that difficult. Grenades, feh.

But that will spoil all the fun.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-04-15 03:35am

All this and yet people still try to claim Saddam didn't have biological weapons at his command.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-04-15 03:48pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:All this and yet people still try to claim Saddam didn't have biological weapons at his command.

Couple that with those Soviet era giant crabs attacking the Scandianvian lands and we need to start our own force up.

I do have to wonder if Giger based his facehugger concept on these guys, but I doubt I'd hurt one, they're too fucking cool (funnel webs would be scary, as Jackson told WETA to base Shelob on the things).

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2004-04-15 03:51pm

I thought the Sovvie crabs were invading the welsh coast soon...?

Robert Treder · Post by **Robert Treder** » 2004-04-15 04:22pm

My cousin, who is in the Air Force stationed in Qatar, was recently back and was talking about these things. He said that they'd catch them and make them fight ants, because they also have big-ass red ants over there. If you put enough ants in, they'll devour the spider.

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2004-04-15 04:25pm

Do they shoot tranqs in the buggers before picking them up?

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2004-04-15 04:58pm

The US should start re-issuing flamethrowers specifically to deal with those things. Christ!

Captain Cyran · Post by **Captain Cyran** » 2004-04-15 05:19pm

Robert Treder wrote:My cousin, who is in the Air Force stationed in Qatar, was recently back and was talking about these things. He said that they'd catch them and make them fight ants, because they also have big-ass red ants over there. If you put enough ants in, they'll devour the spider.

That frightens me more than the spiders do.

Oni Koneko Damien · Post by **Oni Koneko Damien** » 2004-04-15 06:24pm

Feh, ants devour anything. I'm surprised that everyone is scared of the big, easy to see thing when the thousands of small, stingered, venemous, ballistically maddened little things are infinitely more dangerous.

-Damien

Hyperion · Post by **Hyperion** » 2004-04-16 12:40am

Cool critter...

If I ever saw one it's a good guess someone would have to pry me off of the highest object I could find, and would probably have their ears ringing from my scream. (note: this probably would happen after I sat there poking the thing with a stick)

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2004-04-18 08:05am

Big enough scorpions will pwn that thing.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-04-18 10:27am

Vympel wrote:As with all spider related threads, I refuse to click on it, yet I post to make that fact known. Yes, I am an arachnophobe.

You're not the only one.

I once spent 90 minutes hunting a spider in my room. I fashioned my own spear and everything.

Are these spiders anywhere else in the world?

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2004-04-18 10:32am

Those aren't spiders. And they're found in lots of deserts. But these types of critters aren't that prolific.