--- title: "Egyptian Giant Solpugid (Galeodes arabs) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "A camel spider, which is not a spider at all, with jaws that chop its prey to pulp." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/egyptian-giant-solpugid-1.webp" published: "2026-10-11" updated: "2026-10-11" --- # Egyptian Giant Solpugid (*Galeodes arabs*) > **Status**: Checked against 3 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: A camel spider, which is not a spider at all, with jaws that chop its prey to pulp. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Thrash Metal & Speed Metal // Megadeth, "Hangar 18" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/0KAaslGdPc5I6WxmKe3whe) > **Vibe Match**: Camel spiders seize prey in huge jaws and chop or saw it into pulp. Hangar 18 is built on palm-muted guitar riffs, every note cut short like a blade coming down. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Galeodes arabs* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Not Evaluated ([IUCN Red List](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)) - **Superpower**: Camel spider jaws reach up to one-third of body length - **Habitat**: Deserts - **Diet**: Camel spiders kill insects, rodents, lizards and small birds - **Tags**: arachnid, predator, desert, arid, nocturnal, fast, solitary-hunter ## Natural History & Behavior ## Not a spider at all Despite the name, camel spiders are not spiders. They share the class Arachnida with spiders but belong to the solpugids, and the Egyptian giant solpugid (*Galeodes arabs*) is the species National Geographic files under the camel spider name. It was first described in 1842, from specimens with a vague type locality: simply "Arabia". The World Solifugae Catalog records it from Morocco and Niger to Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Turkey. ## Smaller and slower than the legend Camel spiders went viral during the 2003 Iraq war, when many online tales came with photos that claimed to show spiders half a person's size. They do not eat camels' stomachs or sleeping soldiers either. Pictures that seem to show camel spiders six times their real size are a trick of perspective: the animal sits in the foreground, where the lens makes it look far bigger. Real camel spiders are only about 6 inches long, and National Geographic's fact file gives a weight of 2 ounces and a wild lifespan of up to a year. Flat out, a camel spider is estimated to manage 10 miles per hour. That is quick only when compared with other arachnids, which is how National Geographic puts it. The rumor that one can keep pace with a running person does not hold up. ## Jaws like a paper shredder Camel spider jaws are large and powerful, and can reach up to one-third of the body length. The animal grabs its victim with them and chops or saws it into pulp. Prey includes insects, rodents, lizards and small birds. Digestive fluids turn the flesh to liquid, and the camel spider sucks up what is left. > **Myth check** > Camel spiders are not venomous, and they are not deadly to humans, though their bite is painful. ## A night shift in the sand A 1961 study that tracked its activity found *Galeodes arabs* nocturnal, especially in the hot season. It also loses water slowly through its body surface in dry air. The study sorted its responses to enemies and prey into alertness, threat, and high-intensity threat with stridulation (a sound made by rubbing body parts together), which leads to an attack or a getaway. A getaway is often followed by digging in the sand. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is the Egyptian giant solpugid a spider? No. Camel spiders, the group National Geographic files it under, are arachnids like spiders, yet they form a separate group, the solpugids. The same page lists "wind scorpion" as another of their names, so the labels muddle things further. *(Source: [National Geographic]())* ### Is the Egyptian giant solpugid venomous? No. National Geographic states that camel spiders have no venom and pose no deadly threat to people, but a bite still hurts. Their weapons are the jaws and digestive fluids. *(Source: [National Geographic]())* ### How fast can a camel spider run? National Geographic puts the top speed at an estimated 10 miles per hour. Fast for an arachnid, but the old rumor that they match a running human is a myth. *(Source: [National Geographic]())* ### When does Galeodes arabs hunt? Mostly after dark. Activity recordings in a 1961 study showed it was nocturnal, and especially so in the hot season. *(Source: [Cloudsley-Thompson 1961]())* ## Sources 1. [Camel Spider. National Geographic.]() 2. [Cloudsley-Thompson (1961). Some aspects of the physiology and behaviour of Galeodes arabs. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata.]() 3. [Galeodes arabs C.L. Koch, 1842. World Solifugae Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern.]() *Published October 11, 2026. 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