Iraq Spiders
Iraq Spiders…Aren’t Really Spiders?
Well, according to the world of science and it’s very precise ways of splitting genus and species and the like, Iraq spiders are in fact not spiders at all. Iraq spiders, also referred to as wind or sun spiders, are members of the arachnid family, but are of the genus solifugid, of which there are 400 known types in the world. The base of this word translates to “one who seeks refuge from the sun.” He is rumored to grow as large as 18 inches, to scream, to pursue humans and other large mammals at speeds of up to 30 mph, to leap onto the underbelly of camels and suck the nutrients out of their stomachs, to hide deviously beneath the hot desert sands and stalk passers by with malicious intent.
Iraq spiders are capable of reaching 6 inches in length from leg tip to leg tip. While this may seem large enough to the diehard arachnophobes out there, this measurement pales next to those of modern day legend. He is a desert dwelling arachnid, as his name suggests, who burrows into the sand during the scorching full sun hours. The stalking rumor does have some merit, as Iraq spiders will borrow the cool shade of passersby in order to move about comfortably during the heat of the day. This is a very innocent gesture, though I can definitely sympathize with the probable discomfort of being shadowed by a 6 inch spider.
Iraq spiders do not scream, nor do they hiss, rub, vibrate, or otherwise sound alarm. They are, however, capable of reaching speeds of 10 mph. A far cry from the reported whirlwind speeds of 30 mph, but impressive just the same. Even more amazing is that he can reach top speed in about .001 seconds, or rather, immediately. A human may be able to outrun the wind spider, but a persons acceleration time is in no a match to this critters’. So yes, he could certainly overtake a panicking human if he wanted to, but he so very rarely wants to. When on the hunt, however, it is thought that the screaming sound which is sometimes reported may in fact be a result of his legs zipping through the sand at lightning fast speeds.
He can leap up to 4 feet straight in the air, which enables him to snatch unsuspecting insects, frogs, and lizards on the hunt. He, as with many arachnids, can show up on a human leg or a shoulder from time to time, but these encounters rarely amount to anything other than the loss of his life. People don’t normally take too well to these unexpected visits. He is easily swept off and squashed with anything from shoes to brooms to hands. Unfortunately, they have become a bit of a plaything in overseas desert arenas, as cruel experiments have found Iraq spiders as the stars of spider fighting contents, and even such painful deaths as torching. It seems that this, as with so many others between man and wild, is a case of the victim being convicted by the culprit.