#solifugae

[chimerarachnid]

Just a busy, little furry friend very hard at work.

[onenicebugperday]

Indian sun spider (aka camel spider aka wind scorpion), Rhagodima nigrocincta, Solifugae

Despite the many common names, these arachnids are neither true spiders or scorpions, but rather belong to their own order, Solifugae, aka the solifuges.

Photographed in India by harshithjv

[caroexanima]

solifugae shark

[razehider]

empty threats don't bother me, but "i hope you find a lifer at half past eight in the evening with no external light source on you" is scary. it can happen. fortunately, this iberian solifuge (Gluvia dorsalis) turned out to be cuter in motion in a shitty blurry high ISO phone video than it would've been in any decent photos i couldn't have taken

(August 9th, 2025)

[spacebugarts]

Yk what drawing bugs really makes you appreciate how silly these little guys actually look bc like. This guy's chelicerae are shaped like chicken drumsticks and he looks like he was designed by Jim Henson wdym people are afraid of these things???

[textless]

Sun spider, prince of the strange, harmless creatures. (Well, harmless to people. They eat rafts of insects, spiders, and scorpions.) Cochise County, Arizona, August 2024.

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Arachnida - Solifugae

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Order: Solifugae

Common Name: “solifuges”, “solifugids”, “camel spiders”, “sun spiders”, “wind scorpions”

Families: 15 - Eremobatidae (“straight-faced windscorpions”), Galeodidae, Gylippidae (“slenderromans”), Karschiidae, Rhagodidae, Ammotrechidae (“curve-faced windscorpions”), Ceromidae (“whipromans”), Daesiidae, Dinorhaxidae, Hexisopodidae (“teddybear solifuges”), Melanoblossiidae (“blackromans”), Mummuciidae, Lipophagidae, Namibesiidae, and Solpugidae (“common romans”)

Anatomy: two main body segments; abdominal tergites and sternites are separated by large areas of intersegmental membranes, offering a high range of flexibility; most species have conspicuously large, powerful pinching chelicerae, and in many species these can be used for stridulation, producing a rattling noise; one pair of large central eyes; pedipalps are used as a fifth pair of legs, or held out to detect obstacles or prey

Diet: insects, arachnids, millipedes, small vertebrates

Habitat: tropics and subtropical deserts in the Americas, Southern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia

Evolved in: Late Carboniferous

Do you have a favorite in Solifugae?

One or more of my favorite animals is in Solifugae

I love at least one or more of these animals

I like at least one or more of these animals

I am neutral about all of these animals

I dislike all of these animals

Voting ended onSep 14, 2025

Propaganda under the cut:

Solifuges are the victim of a number of urban legends which exaggerate their size, speed, venom (they don’t have venom glands), and danger to humans and other animals. One of these urban legends is the basis of one of their common names, “camel spider”, as they were purported to hunt and chase camels. Yeah. Camels. In truth, solifuges are not especially large (the largest having a length of 15 centimetres [5.9 in]), and, while they are impressively fast on land compared to other invertebrates, their top speed is estimated to be 16 km/h (10 mph) while camels can run at 65 km/h (40 mph). Claims that solifuges aggressively chase people are also untrue, as they are merely trying to stay in the shade/shadow provided by humans in hot climates.

In some species, female solifuges will guard their eggs until they hatch. During this time, she will not eat, so she typically tries to fatten herself up before laying her eggs.

Solifuges undergo periods of diapause (variously referred to as dormancy, torpor, or hibernation) in times of harsh conditions. Despite multiple observations of this behavior, like many aspects of Solifugae, it remains understudied and requires further research.

Before eating, solifuges will meticulously prepare their food by removing any parts they find unfavorable. In arthropods, these are typically areas that have high amounts of chitin (heads, antennae, wings, etc). Solifuges eat in different ways based on the shape of their food. Prey that is long and narrow is held perpendicular to the chelicerae and chewed from one end to another (corncob-style). More round prey is chewed by rotating the body all at once. Folks, we may have found the true Autism Beasts…

British troops stationed in Libya in World War II staged fights between solifuges and scorpions to keep themselves entertained. You just can’t keep them Brits from blood sport.

Many species of solifuge are considered beneficial as they feed on species humans consider pests, such as termites.

In case you missed it in the list of families, let me repeat, Hexisopodidae (“teddybear solifuges”). Ahem. Teddybear solifuges:

(source)

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[etcstims]

Absolutely furious solpugid | source