Iraq Would Be Bad Enough Without all the Giant Spiders!

Yes, they're real. Meet the Camel Spider or Wind Scorpion which, while not a real spider at all, is a member of the class Arachnida, according to the National Geographic. Various species of the animal live in desert climes, from the Middle East to Baha California (Mexico). They can grow up to six inches in length, although the two in the picture seem quite a bit larger than that, so they might have been photo-shopped to make them look more impressive.

And some of the stories about them coming out of Iraq are just soldier's guff. They cannot run at 25 mph; they are not called camel spiders because they will attack a camel and lay their eggs in its stomach; they do not inject a paralyzing venom.

Still, pretty impressive beasties, and not something you'd want to share a fox-hole with.

Below is another picture for scale. ht/ to CryptoMundo.




















h/t to Cryptomundo.