Researchers created a map about the camel spider jaws in a study published Monday in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
by Hannah Moore
June 25, 2015—For the first time in 81 years, researchers have published information on the tough-to-track-down camel spider.
Scientists from the American Museum of Natural History have put together a map with accompanying reference guide that all about the camel spider jaws, according to the International Business Times UK.
The research is a noteworthy feat, considering that more information about the camel spider has existed in urban legend than in data. Despite the colorful names for the spider, such as sun spider and wind scorpion, the biology of the Solifugae (aka camel spider) is largely unknown, according to a press release from the American Museum of Natural History.
The camel spider jaws hold telling information about the creepy crawler. The jaws are the largest in proportion to its body size compared to other animals who have the parts specific to these jaws. The jaws also contain the majority of parts for classification.
The camel spider jaws have two segments and make up one-third of the creature’s body.
There are 1,000 different species of camel spider worldwide. The spider resides in areas of Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Indian subcontinent. It is nocturnal, has a one-year life span and lives in the driest and hottest desert habitats, making it difficult for scientists collect data on the creature. So far, only the adult male has been solidly identified.
Lorenzo Prendini, who helped author the study, says he finds it “unbelievable” that research on the camel spider was obtained back in 1934 considering how “conspicuous and ubiquitous” the spider is in some parts of the world.
The latest study combines high-resolution microscopy with the existing folklore surrounding the camel spider and introduces almost 80 terms, many of which are new, for various structures that resemble one another in appearance and position. The terms are planned to be used in future work to avoid ambiguity in languaging between scientists in different regions.
Talk of the elusive spider began during the 2003 Iraq War, when stories and photos of the creature were passed around the Internet. Some content showed the spider to be half the size of the human with the ability to run as fast as a human can. Virtual rumors circulated of camel spiders chasing humans.
In reality, the camel spider is about six inches long and its bite is not fatal to humans.
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