As we're laying our 2 yr old down to bed, we tuck him in, and kiss him goodnight.. Feeling like he's so safe and warm inside his bedroom, we step out and close the door to see THISSSSSSSSSSS.. greeting us at the foot of his doorway... It's no itty bitty little critter either.. It's about 2 inches long.. It's legs, when stretched out were at least an inch long.. I ran for a cup and a lid, the hubby cornered it, whipped it into the cup after some struggling and I did the dirty deed by spraying the RAID.. Now, he's from OHIO, the southern part & he's seen some pretty scary, nasty bugs.. But, what the heck is this.. Is it a spider..?? It's mouth actually looked like a bird beak (sp?) when it was alive.. now it just looks like brown prongs all spread apart..
OH, and our backyard does back up to the town cemetary.. So, creepy crawlers are a bit of a problem.. This one was just new and little too big for my comfort..
Some sort of wind scorpion. They have several other names, like camel spiders (that's what marines call them in Iraq), Sun Spider, Solifugid, or Solpugid.
ETA: I should add that it isn't a scorpion per se, and cannot sting. They are also non-venomous.
One last thing- they are pretty common in dry areas around the world. A lot of times you won't see them though, as they are nocturnal.
What I'm getting at is that these things are actually beneficial and eat a huge variety of other things that are more of a hindrance to human life. They are pretty peculiar looking, and admittedly their jaws are intimidating (especially if you anger them, as they will rear up and raise their legs), but they aren't to be feared.
What I'm getting at is that these things are actually beneficial and eat a huge variety of other things that are more of a hindrance to human life. They are pretty peculiar looking, and admittedly their jaws are intimidating (especially if you anger them, as they will rear up and raise their legs), but they aren't to be feared.
Well, then I feel much better... The thought of one of these crawling on my kids at night is not what I was looking forward too.. Like I said, we have a huge bug proglem in our area, especially being next to the cemetary.. The food supply around here explains why this guy is hanging around.. Just outside would be best.. :-)
Well, then I feel much better... The thought of one of these crawling on my kids at night is not what I was looking forward too.. Like I said, we have a huge bug proglem in our area, especially being next to the cemetary.. The food supply around here explains why this guy is hanging around.. Just outside would be best.. :-)
Understandably- they could conceivably inflict a bite but it wouldn't be venomous, as I said, so it wouldn't be pleasant but isn't dangerous. They are rather unconfrontational usually, but due to a high metabolism are very active predators. I've always had a keen interest in ecology and specifically arthropods. I still remember the first time I found one of these scurrying around. I was really excited because I had only ever seen them in books, never in person. I ended up keeping it in a terrarium for awhile, watching it devour grasshoppers and crickets I put in for it. Neat creatures. If you're ever in need of an arthropod ID I try to keep my eyes open on the forum for them. The main thing is education when it comes to these things, so that people aren't needlessly fearful.
In regards to them eating your house...
unless your house is living and composed of small arthropods, you have nothing to worry about, although they DO eat things like cockroaches.
But if that IS the case... you probably have some bigger problems going on and the solpugids are the least of your troubles. ;)
That is a Vampire Spider! It's a very small one, but it's definitely a Vampire Spider. It's a good thing that you killed it because they are extremely dangerous! There have been several documented instances of these spiders attacking and eating small human babies. They got the name Vampire Spider because they are nocturnal and because of their habit of attacking and feeding from their victim's jugular vein. First they inject a black oily substance that acts as a topical anesthetic, then they use their large toothed mandibles to rip open the victim's jugular vein. When the victim begins bleeding they drink the blood using a long straw-like proboscis. The victims usually bleed to death before they even realize they're been attacked. They like to hunt in large packs too, so if there's one around then there's probably hundreds of others nearby waiting for the signal to feed. They are horrible vicious creatures!
That is a Vampire Spider! It's a very small one, but it's definitely a Vampire Spider. It's a good thing that you killed it because they are extremely dangerous! There have been several documented instances of these spiders attacking and eating small human babies. They got the name Vampire Spider because they are nocturnal and because of their habit of attacking and feeding from their victim's jugular vein. First they inject a black oily substance that acts as a topical anesthetic, then they use their large toothed mandibles to rip open the victim's jugular vein. When the victim begins bleeding they drink the blood using a long straw-like proboscis. The victims usually bleed to death before they even realize they're been attacked. They like to hunt in large packs too, so if there's one around then there's probably hundreds of others nearby waiting for the signal to feed. They are horrible vicious creatures!
Thanks for all the added bits of info !! I went to bed last night trying to figure out how this little guy got in, and remembered I had opened my sliding glass door in the master bedroom and the kids left the screen open, so I'm sure he just mosey'd in from there..
Needless to say, I did got to sleep last night with that feeling of "what the heck is that crawling on my skin", only to look down and see nothing...
And, thank you Mick.. The thought of where the heck are all of his buddies kept running through my mind all night long, so I appreciate your post about them running in packs !!!!
