The Camel Spider is part of the order of Arachnids known as Solifugae. It grows up to a 300 mm size and has a small brown or gray body and long legs. The Camel Spider lives in deserts and usually warm weather areas and feeds on other small animals and remains of corps. Many myths have surfaced about it, concerning its size and dangerousness towards humans. These are a sort of urban stories and most of them have not been proven yet, but surfaced due to stories told by American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and other countries in the area.

Myths surrounding the Camel Spider concern, first of all, its way of attacking and harming its prey. It is believed that it can scream and run when chasing its prey, at a speed of approximatively 300 MPH. The Camel Spider uses a venom that numbs feeling around the bitten area, this way whatever it catches cannot move and is immediately killed, if it is smaller than the spider. A myth in this direction is that the Camel Spider bites people in their sleep, the numbing effect causing the victim to realize they have been bitten only upon awakening. Some argue though that this is not true and that this kind of spider is not dangerous to people. However, it can be threatening when it feels that it is attacked, if say people try to handle it, and in consequence the spider resumes to bitting. The possible wound is not lethal, but the strong muscled jaw can cause skin and tissue fracture and later infections. Other stories sustain that the Camel Spider can reach a larger form or can jump really high in the air. In plus, myths have also induced the popular belief that the Camel Spider has an unusual stalking behavior, while the truth is it is a species that hides from sun light and thus, will follow around any moving shadow found.

In conclusion, many myths revolving around the Camel Spider are still to be proven or dismissed. Recommendation, in any case, is that people stay away from it and not attempt to handle it. The Camel Spider looks dangerous enough for anyone seeing it, thus, until all myths can become facts or not, you should not try to test its tolerance to humans and the behavior the spider really has.