True Facts about the Camel Spider Bite
First of all, let me set the record straight. A camel spider bite hurts, yes, but your arm won’t rot off, as the Internet will have you believe. So if you’re here reading this because you’ve been bitten, ignore all those horrendous images on Google search and the like. Camel spider bites can be easily taken care of.
Oh, ignore the myths too. Camel spiders do not eat or chew on people while they sleep, they do not scream, they don’t disembowel camels and eat their stomachs, and they don’t chase people at 30 mph. (Camel spiders can, however, run at 10 mph.) However, if one DOES run after you, eek!, know that they only want to be in your shade, so stop running, for Pete’s sake. They do bite, but prefer insects, lizards, rodents and snakes to human flesh.
Image Source: Public Domain, Wiki Commons
What is a Camel Spider?
The camel spider is not actually a spider at all. It is an arachnid in the order Solifugae, which means, “those who run away from the sun.” Camel spiders are bulky, brown, bushy and vicious spider-like animals. They are also known by the names – Sun Spider, Sand Spider, Sun Scorpion, and the Wind Spider.
The abdomen of a camel spider is divided into fragments with lengthy hair that shines in the sun and shields its long legs. The most prominent and dangerous part of this spider’s form is its piercing plier-like jaws which are used to crush and chomp their prey. The length of the camel spider is not fixed and differs across classes, reaching from 0.5 inches up to 6 inches.
By JonRichfield (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solpugidae_showing_eyes_with_presumably_protective_bristles_2012_01_24_1019s.JPG#/media/File:Solpugidae_showing_eyes_with_presumably_protective_bristles_2012_01_24_1019s.JPG, via Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Camel Spider Found?
Camel spiders are mostly found in deserts. They are opposed to sunlight and during the day, bury themselves in the soil or sand to guard their body from the day time high temperature. Camel spiders are night-time creatures that become active after sundown.
Camel Spider Bite Symptoms
If you are sure that you have been bitten by a camel spider, then you must have one or more of the symptoms mentioned below:
- Severe pain
A camel spider bite results in severe, hurtful pain, because of its pincers.
- Inflammation and Tenderness
According to Health Whoop, a camel spider bite shocks the surrounding tissues, resulting in inflammation and redness of the skin around the wound. This inflammation is a normal response of the human body to the spider’s bite.
- Blood loss
Depending on the harshness of the bite, extent of the attack, size of the spider, and area of the body that has been bitten, slight-to-profuse bleeding may occur.
Camel Spider Bite Treatment
Since these animals are non-venomous in nature, a camel spider bite can be cured at home without medical intervention from a doctor. An exception to this would be if the injured person has a medical condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disorder, or allergies, in which case it would be better to consult a doctor to avoid further complication.
If bitten by a camel spider, the following treatment should be started immediately:
- Sanitize the bite wound. Wash it with mild soap, saline solution, or an anti-bacterial disinfectant.
- Dry the wound.
- Apply antibiotic ointment.
- Cover the area with a bandage.
- Once the bandage is on, ensure that you change it regularly to avoid staph and other bacterial infections.
- Apply ice-packs to reduce inflammation and pain.
- Take pain relievers, if necessary, such as Ibuprofen and other analgesics that are safe and easily available at the pharmacy.
If you monitor the wound carefully, a camel spider bite should heal completely in a couple of weeks. If difficulties arise (vomiting, dizziness, fever), your doctor may recommend dusting the wound, scraping off the area of the bite, a tetanus injection, and a strong course of antibiotic.
Source: Health Whoop
Camel Spider Bite Facts and Information Share on X
*
A QUESTION FOR YOU: If you were chased by a camel spider … would you run?
*** Leave your comment below. ***
It’s just sexy!
*
*
As always, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog!
♥ PEACE ♥
*
An Illustrated Guide to Wildlife : From your Back Door to the Great Outdoors
Disclosure: Animal Bliss is an Amazon affiliate and will earn a (very small) commission from purchases made through links on this website.
(Coffee money – thank you!)
😀
Her own animal experience is vast, having raised and rescued Alpine Goats, Chickens, Turkeys, Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs, Turtles, Raccoons, Cats, Dogs, and even an Opossum and Bearded Dragon.
- Mindful Travel With Your Dog This Holiday Season - December 23, 2019
- A-Z of Australia’s Endangered Wildlife - December 20, 2019
- Teaching Your Kids How to Walk the Dog Safely - December 2, 2019
So last night as i was coming back in the house from the garage at 2am, a large roach started running about a foot in front of me, wearing flip flops and knowing the disgusting mess a large roach being crushed can make i went for a grazing, light step kill. I dod but only grazed the roach and not fully killing it , as i lifted to step again, from a foot away a very fast light blond colored streak, apprx same size as the roach maybe just over an inch shot out from under my refridgerator and snatched the wounded roach in its large mandibles and rocketed back under the fridge ! Knowing ive never seen a spider of that ones type here in Albuquerque, NM. Curiosity got better of me and i got on my knees w a flashlight undertye fridge. Sure enoigh it was a sun spider happily munching that roach away. Tbh, it creeped me out almost as much as the roach and i likely wouldve stomped on it too except my flip flop was coming off Nd needed readjustment, which gave this guy the perfect opp to snatch my kill from me and live to enjoy it!
Of course I would run….. spider’s in general are creepy things especially when they scare the crap out of you.
Just the other my 4 year old daughter saw that thing. I never laughed so hard and moving her at some time. She climbed over back of couch fell to the floor looked behind her screaming started kicking her legs like she just knew one of his legs was coming over the couch to grab her. I picked her up moving fast myself and daddy saved the day. We live in Bullhead City AZ. USA. All desert
Yikes! That sounds traumatic for your 4-year-old daughter. It would be for me too! Thanks for visiting us here at Animal Bliss. I hope you’ll come back again some time. Peace.
I just saw one of these running across my deck. It fell into the pool and couldn’t get out. So I used the brick we keep next to the pool to pin the hose down when topping up the water to rescue it. It hung out on the brick for awhile to dry off then scampered away.
I reside in South Africa. I like spiders and always try to rescue them when I can.
Now there’s a story I never heard before. How unique for us here in the United States. Thank you for saving him. How big was he?
I am glad we don’t have these in Massachusetts. I love spiders and let them live in the bathroom, but if I saw one of these, I would move 🙂
Thanks for letting spiders live in your bathroom. I tend to do the same thing. However, if I saw a camel spider … uh-uh.