Jimmy Jangles presents: The Optimus Prime Experiment: spider

Camel Spiders. The largest, most bad ass spiders that have ever been discovered. Known for their bite whihc can render a camel unconcious in 20 minutes and dead in 45, these spiders are often the most talked about spiders in every day conversation and indeed, the internet.

During the various US war campaigns in Iraq, 17 U.S. soldiers have died as a result of camel spiders. Thus it is true the venom of a camel spider is deadly to human beings. Camels spiders can also jump 3 feet in the air and use this skill to jump on the backs of their prey.

The Middle East isn't the only place where solifugids spiders have a bad name. In Mexico, they're known as matevenados, which translates as "deer killers." The Mexican government offers a 500 peso reward for every live deer killer spider presented to the National Spider Laboratory. The spiders are milked for their venom which is used to treat victims of spider bites (if they survived!).

This is a fake spider!

Actually the truth is rather different. A number of urban legends have bounded across the internet that exaggerate the size and speed of Solifugae, and their potential danger to camels, humans and soldiers in Iraq. That's right, their talents and size are all myth!

The Camel Spider is more formally known as order of Arachnida, Solifuga. Also commonly known as wind scorpions or sun spiders, camel spiders may grow to a length of 7 cm (2.8 in) which is nothing like the legendary stories people are wont to tell.

Most species live in deserts and feed opportunistically on ground-dwelling arthropods. No records exist of a camel spider ever eating or killing a camel! Still, if you want to see a spider eating a bird, be my guest.

Spider eating a bird caught in its web!

It's pictures like this of a spider eating a fricking bird that inspire horror movies like Arachnophobia:

The pictures show the Golden Orb Weaver spider with its long black legs wrapped around the body of a dead bird suspended in its web. Presumably the bird flew into the web, tired and was set upon by the spider.

The photos were reportedly taken in Atheron, close to Queensland's tropical north (in Australia). Joel Shakespeare, head spider keeper at the Australian Reptile Park was reported as saying "Normally they prey on large insects… it's unusual to see one eating a bird." Mr Shakepeare said he had seen Golden Orb Weaver spiders as big as a human hand but the northern species in tropical areas were known to grow larger.