Camel Spiders: Real Size, Myths and the US Sun Spiders
A camel spider is a solifuge (order Solifugae), a fast, big-jawed desert arachnid that is not a true spider and has no venom glands. The US has its own species, often called sun spiders or windscorpions, across the dry West and Southwest. Most US species are roughly 5/8 to 1 3/4 inches long. They can give a painful pinch-bite, but the giant, screaming, camel-eating animal of the Iraq war emails does not exist.
Most of what people “know” about camel spiders came from one viral photo and a chain email in 2004. This guide checks those claims against university extension services, the Burke Museum and US Army entomologists, and adds our own analysis of where and when Americans photograph the real animals.
Camel spider, tarantula, wolf spider or scorpion?
A big, fast, hairy arachnid on a desert patio is usually one of four animals. The quickest tells are the jaws, the tail and whether it walks on eight legs or six.
| Camel spider (solifuge) | Tarantula | Wolf spider | Striped bark scorpion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order | Solifugae, not a spider | Araneae (true spider) | Araneae (true spider) | Scorpiones |
| Typical body length | 10 to 50 mm (3/8 to 2 in) in Texas; 19 to 38 mm for the common western species | About 40 mm (1 1/2 in) in Texas | 16 to 35 mm for the large Hogna and Tigrosa species | About 60 mm (2 3/8 in) |
| Key look | Huge forward-pointing jaws, leg-like pedipalps held up front, walks on six legs | Heavy, very hairy, dark brown body, brownish black abdomen | Dark brown with scattered grey hairs, legs solid or banded | Pincers, segmented tail ending in a stinger |
| Venom | No venom glands | Venom fangs; Texas species’ bites generally not serious | Venom fangs; pain and redness that usually fades within a day | Venomous sting; painful, with local swelling |
| Silk and shelter | No silk; hides under rocks or in burrows | Sometimes lines its burrow with silk | Retreats in soil and under boards; females carry their young | No silk; shelters in dead vegetation and logs |
| Active | Mostly at night, some by day | Night; males wander in summer | Night | Night; climbs, often found in attics |
The camel spider is the only one of the four that runs with its front legs raised like feelers: UC IPM notes it walks on its last three pairs. If you see what looks like a ten-legged spider sprinting across the floor, that is the pedipalps plus eight legs, and it is a solifuge. For the true spiders, our wolf spider guide and the broader spider identification guide cover the look-alikes in detail.
Why is a camel spider not a spider?
Solifuges are arachnids, like spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites, but they sit in their own order, Solifugae. The US Army’s public health entomologists put it plainly: they are neither spiders nor scorpions, and not insects either. The anatomy shows it:
- No silk and no venom. UC IPM states the windscorpion has no venom glands or web-spinning organs, the two things that define a true spider’s way of life.
- Jaws, not fangs. A spider bites with hollow fangs. A solifuge has two massive jaws (chelicerae) that open vertically and work like pliers. The Army describes each one as a combination pliers and knife, used to grab, crush and then saw prey into pulp.
- Feeling, not seeing. Colorado State University extension notes that most sense organs are on the pedipalps, which detect vibrations and probably odours, while leaf-shaped organs on the hind legs called malleoli pick up chemical cues.
The pedipalps also have sticky tips, which the Army notes let solifuges catch prey and even climb smooth surfaces such as glass.
Why are camel spiders called camel spiders?
No authoritative source settles the name, so we will not repeat a guess as fact. What the sources do record is the myth attached to it. The Burke Museum’s arachnologist lists “they call them camel spiders because they eat the stomachs of camels” among the claims from the 2004 email, alongside laying eggs under camels’ skin. Both are false: solifuges lay their eggs in soil, and they do not feed on large animals.
The other names are better documented. “Solifugae” is built from the Latin sol, sun, and fugere, to flee, which fits animals that spend the day under rocks or in burrows. “Windscorpion” refers to speed: UC IPM says the long legs let it run swiftly or “like the wind”, and Texas A&M and the University of Arizona give the same explanation. All of these names are misleading in the same way, since the animal is neither a spider nor a scorpion.
The Iraq myths, checked against the measurements
The Burke Museum traces the modern legend to a mass email that began circulating on 4 April 2004 with a photo of two solifuges held by a soldier. The museum notes the animals were around 4 cm long but appear to be around 40 cm long, ten times life size, because of false perspective: the closer an object is to a wide lens, the bigger it looks.
| Claim | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| They are a foot long, or as big as a dinner plate | Maximum body length of Middle Eastern species is about 5 cm (Burke Museum). The largest species is no more than 6 in (15 cm) with legs outstretched (US Army) |
| They run 25 mph | Highest figure cited in scientific sources is 10 mph; the only accurately measured speeds the Burke Museum found were under 1 mph. The Army gives about a mile an hour |
| They scream as they chase you | They cannot scream. Some species make a barely audible buzz or hiss |
| They chase people | They run toward your shadow to get out of the sun; at night they run toward lights |
| They inject a numbing venom and gnaw on sleeping victims | No venom glands and no way to inject venom. Nobody has produced a specimen found eating human or camel flesh |
| They jump 6 feet | Jumping ability is poor, though some are excellent climbers |
The Burke Museum adds that the species in Iraq were studied by British scientists from 1919 to 1958, so their anatomy and physiology are well known.
So why do they run at you?
This part of the myth has a real behaviour behind it. The Army explains that during the day solifuges stay in shadows to avoid hot ground and will follow a moving human shadow, making it seem like they are chasing you. At night the same animals run toward any light source, including flashlights and campfires, because lights draw the insects they eat. Step out of the way and the “attack” ends.
Are there camel spiders in the US?
Yes, and plenty of them. University of Arizona extension says the southwestern US is known to have over 50 solpugid species, and more than 120 species have been described in North America. Texas A&M reports 26 species from Texas, mostly in the family Eremobatidae, with Eremobates the largest genus, found throughout the western and southern parts of the state and uncommon or absent in east Texas. Colorado State lists 15 species in Colorado, below about 7,500 feet. UC IPM describes the windscorpion Eremobates pallipes as common in California’s San Joaquin Valley and arid parts of the Southwest.
US species are smaller than the Middle Eastern ones in the famous photo. Arizona extension gives 15 to 45 mm (5/8 to 1 3/4 in) for western US solpugids, light tan to brown, often with a darker abdomen. Colorado’s reach about 1 1/2 inches with legs extended.
Where Americans photograph them
We counted research-grade iNaturalist records of Solifugae in each state and scaled them to records per 10,000 observations of anything in that state, so a state with lots of nature photographers does not win by volume alone.
Nevada leads at 0.25 records per 10,000 observations, then Arizona (0.18), with California, Washington and Texas close behind at 0.12 to 0.13. California has the most raw records (206), and Texas is second (131). Washington, Nebraska and Montana may surprise people: the records show solifuges are not confined to the desert Southwest. Florida has 30 records. Two cautions: the total is small, 481 research-grade US records, so small differences between states mean little, and the chart shows where people noticed and recorded them, not how many live there.
When they are out
Records climb steeply in April, peak in May at more than twice the usual share of what people record, and stay high through September before collapsing in winter (there are no December records at all). Colorado State notes that windscorpions occasionally come into buildings, particularly in mid to late summer, and that females lay masses of 50 to 200 eggs, typically in late summer, and are thought to die soon after. Eggs hatch in one to two weeks, and both Colorado State and Texas A&M suggest a life of about one year.
The striped bark scorpion, by contrast, is recorded fairly evenly from March to November, so a May burst is a solifuge pattern. For the other night visitors, see why bugs come out at night.
What do camel spiders eat?
Almost anything smaller than they are. Texas A&M says they feed on almost any invertebrate and have been known to take lizards and other small vertebrates. The Army lists insects, scorpions, spiders, centipedes and sometimes small lizards. Prey is caught with the sticky pedipalps, crushed by the jaws and reduced to liquid with saliva, which Colorado State describes as external digestion.
UC IPM regards them as beneficial for that reason, and Arizona extension notes they may even kill an occasional scorpion or centipede.
How venomous is a camel spider?
Not at all, as far as the published evidence shows. UC IPM, Colorado State, Arizona extension, Texas A&M and the Army all state that solifuges have no venom glands.
The sources differ on what the jaws can do to a person, mostly because of size. Colorado State says its small local species produce no more than a mild pinch and cannot break the skin. The Army says the larger species can puncture and tear skin, and that secondary infections may occur at the bite site. The Burke Museum makes the same point: an infected wound, not venom, may have started some of the stories. A bite usually happens only if one is handled, cornered or trapped against skin. Anyone with a bite that becomes increasingly red, hot, swollen or painful should see a doctor; for help working out what bit you, see our bite identification guide.
Camel spiders as pets
People search for camel spiders for sale, but extension advice is that they do poorly in captivity. Colorado State says they make interesting but short-lived pets: larger, mature individuals will likely survive only a couple of months at most, with females living longer than males.
One got in the house: what to do
- Do not swat it with a bare hand. The Army advises brushing a solifuge off your body rather than swatting it.
- Catch and release. UC IPM recommends putting a jar over it, sliding a piece of paper underneath and releasing it outside.
- Skip the spray. UC IPM says no chemical control measures are recommended for windscorpions, and Arizona extension says pesticides are not recommended for solpugids, scorpions or centipedes.
- Turn down the foundation lights. Colorado State notes that lighting near the foundation draws the insects solifuges hunt, which brings them to the door.
- Seal gaps at ground level. Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows and seal where utilities enter, which Arizona extension says also keeps out scorpions, centipedes, mice and kissing bugs.
- Look for the food source. If they keep turning up indoors, Arizona extension advises checking for indoor prey such as crickets, and for firewood that carried them in.
A solifuge is never a reason to hire anyone. If the same gaps are letting in scorpions, that is a different conversation; our scorpion control cost guide explains why sealing usually beats spraying. Texans dealing with a mix of visitors can compare them in our guide to common house bugs in Texas, and our guide to keeping spiders out of the house covers the same sealing steps for true spiders.
Frequently asked questions
How venomous is a camel spider?
Camel spiders are not venomous. University of California IPM, Colorado State, Texas A&M, University of Arizona extension and US Army entomologists all state that solifuges have no venom glands. They kill prey with powerful jaws and digestive saliva. A large one can give a painful bite if handled, and the Army notes the wound can become infected, so a bite that worsens should be seen by a doctor.
Are there camel spiders in the US?
Yes. More than 120 species have been described in North America and over 50 in the Southwest, according to University of Arizona extension. Texas has 26 and Colorado 15. US species are usually called sun spiders or windscorpions, and western US species are about 5/8 to 1 3/4 inches long. In our iNaturalist analysis Nevada, Arizona, California, Washington and Texas have the highest rates of records.
How big are the biggest camel spiders?
The largest species measure about 6 inches (15 cm) with legs outstretched, according to US Army entomologists, and most are 1/2 to 3 inches. The Burke Museum puts the maximum body length of Middle Eastern species at about 5 cm. The famous Iraq photo made 4 cm animals look about 40 cm long through false perspective. US species are smaller still.
Why is a camel spider not a spider?
A camel spider belongs to its own arachnid order, Solifugae. Unlike true spiders it has no venom glands and no silk or web-spinning organs. Instead of hollow fangs it has two huge pincer-like jaws that work like pliers. It also walks on six legs and uses the front pair as feelers, holding its leg-like pedipalps out in front.
Do camel spiders chase people?
No. In daytime heat a solifuge runs toward the nearest shade, and a moving person’s shadow is shade, so it follows. US Army entomologists explain that this makes it seem like they are chasing you. At night they run toward lights, including flashlights and campfires, because lights attract the insects they eat. They do not scream; at most some species make a faint buzz or hiss.
Sources
- University of California Statewide IPM Program, Pest Notes: Windscorpion (Eremobates pallipes), E.J. Perry.
- Colorado State University Extension, Fact Sheet 5.589, Windscorpions (Sunspiders), with 2014 checklist of Colorado Solifugae.
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County, Solpugids, Backyard Gardener, Jeff Schalau, 2013.
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Field Guide to Common Texas Insects: Windscorpions; Tarantula; Striped Bark Scorpion.
- Defense Centers for Public Health, Aberdeen (US Army), What Is That? Camel Spider.
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Spider Myths: Too many “camel spider” tall tales, Rod Crawford.
- Penn State Extension, Wolf Spiders, 2025.
- National Park Service, Bark Scorpion.
- The Pest Control Brief analysis of iNaturalist research-grade records, pulled October 2026.
