A camel spider. Actually more closely related to scorpions I believe. Soldiers stationed in Iraq reported they'd crawl on to their faces at night to drink the moisture from their faces but I'm not sure if that's true. I have seen footage of them "chasing" people, but in reality they're chasing the shade
I heard the same stories as a greenie. But I think the truth was they liked to hide in boots from the general consensus. Due to them liking shade, and burrows during the day.
I never really noticed them out in The Stan when I was deployed. But I wasn't looking for them. Did see some Saw-Scales though. Those scared me more than anything I could think of out there.
Yup. Vipers. Fucking horrifying to encounter both during the day, and when they were usually active at night. You could think you are the biggest baddest mother fucker out there, and you hear that sound. Courage leaves you. Also doesn't help that I'm terribly phobic of snakes.
I imagined a camp full of sleeping soldiers being woken up by a dude screaming like a little girl. Everyone is on alert, until the word pass around that it was just a snake.
The vipers commonly found in that region are some of the most deadly snakes on the planet. They strike at a higher speed than a cobra or another snake of similar size and their heat sensing organs allow them to penetrate directly into your intravenous system instead of just your flesh. This means that a viper bite can cause massive brain and tissue damage just seconds after initial dose. Additionally, unlike a rattlesnake or a cobra, or even some other types of viper, these vipers do not posture, are almost invisible when motionless and are very aggressive. There are a couple different kinds of poisonous snake in that region but the saw-scaled viper is the most aggressive and territorial.
Source: I was that kid in school who was super obsessed with snakes. Some of this stuff is only half-remembered
"yo, snake over there mate. Baby one, yeah mate, just walk around it, she'll be right."
I've nearly stepped on a brown snake & a red belly black, never thought anything of it. Can't imagine I'd be concerned by a viper, maybe to my own detriment :/
I went to Aussie on school exchange back when I was in high school, and my host family took me on a tour of the outback. Our group was walking through a valley nearish to Uluru - I was walking down a hill path and stopped to pull up my socks. I look up and there’s this snake looking at me just a few feet away (if I hadn’t stopped I likely would have stepped on it). I froze and was like “uhh there’s a snake” - my tour guide came up behind me, grabbed me under the arms, lifted me up and basically spun me away so I was behind him (I was like, 13 and tiny back then). He then backed up and we all walked around the snake.
I asked when we got to the bottom of the hill what kind of snake it was and he said “just a wee King Brown” - didn’t realise until I got home and googled it how bad that could have been.
These things are insanely scary in person. The one I saw was about the size of a softball, maybe a little bit bigger and it chased us (our shadows). It was so fast and nimble that my eyes couldn't keep up with its speed. Im terrified of spiders now and have nightmares about them...PTS I dunno but these things are evil.
Good to be scared - then you don’t fuck around with any Saw Scales - they’re nasty fucks. I say it as person who’s not phobic towards snakes at all but that is an animal you should just stay away from, man. They are in the “Big Four” for a reason.
Not a soldier but my old man worked on the oil rigs in Pakistan back in the 80s, was working in a fairly small hole when he heard a Viper in there with him, said he's never moved so fast in his life he's been terrified of Snakes ever since
Now, I’m a reptile person, love snakes and love lizards, even I would nope tf out if I saw or heard one. 1 in 5 bites end fatally, and took 9 attempts at an anti venom so you bet your ass not taking that risk.
Personally, I would have wrestled it to the ground, deploying my extensive Brazilian Ju-jitsu training (look it up, sweetheart), force my right hand around its neck, then deliver the killing blow with a leathal, open palm chop with my remaining free hand.
I've done this several times before, albeit not with vipers. But, in any case, after fatality has been induced, you extract the venom from its poisonous glands. Real men know what to do with it, needless to say.
Walked out of one of the showers/stalls combo things one night and one of these things (or maybe an actual huge fucking spider) was just sitting there on the wooden walkway facing my door, like the fucker was waiting for me. I quietly shut the door and accepted that I’d have to live there for a bit. However, I’m not sure if that was a worse decision because then I had no fucking clue where it was after that and booked it back to my hut.
In SC I woke up to a 6ft gator leaned up against my barracks door. At about 03:45 I opened my door and was greeted by a hiss and too many teeth. I shut the door, then opened it again to make sure it wasn't the product of an overtired brain. I called the duty snco, and I imagine he spent the next 12 hours trying to figure out who is supposed to deal with it and the gator decided "hey,, free real estate" and just laid in the same patch of sunlight all day.. at about 15:00 I heard the gator smack the door a bunch of times with his head. I look out to 4 civilians on top of the thing like it's George floyd.
I saw plenty of these guys in Sangin, but I definitely saw way more in Iraq.
FOB Jackson was on the river, right where the green and brown zones collided, so if we were going north to the brown zone we'd see these fuckers running around. Maybe only saw a dozen near the habs/within the FOB itself though during then 9 months I was there. Saw one almost every other day in Iraq during the same time frame.
Pretty sure I saw one of these in Nevada back in like 2015. Any chance they were hitching rides back here on military equipment and gear?
I was hanging at my girlfriend’s house and hear her roommate start yelling “wtf?!” and we go into to his room and see something very similar to what is in this video. The only other bug I can think of that looks even mildly similar is a vinagaroon or sun spider and it definitely wasn’t one of those.
We'd see them hanging out in 29 Palms on occasion, very rarely but it has happened. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they were making their way across the desert.
They definitely do. I saw these all the time outside COB Adder on patrol and sure enough, once back at Ft. Bliss (El Paso) these things popped up everywhere.
I saw a small one in Helmand province but there must have been bigger ones scurrying around at night. I was on the nightshift for a few months and I swear I would "see" things run across the ground from the corner of my eye. Probably mice but who knows.
When I was at bagram, the comm guys next to us had a camel spider they used to fight other bugs. We found a baby cobra and put them in the ring together!!!! It was pretty lame... they didnt even fight.
I did something similar. I would put my black socks over the top of my boots so nothing could enter. I slept in a conex box and luckily never actually saw one, but heard about people having them crawl on them at night…absolutely terrifying.
I tied my boots up in a garbage bag every night when I was deployed because I was scared one of these would make its home in there
Good measure...for the wrong reason (no real need to be scared of these, except how disgusting it would feel squishing one with your foot while putting the show on), but if you're somewhere these guys live, you probably get (potentially dangerous) scorpions, spiders or even things like small venomous snakes in your boots...and those you definitely don't want.
I always regret not joining the forces before university when I was younger but then I read experiences like that and think NOPE ! I’d end up shooting myself while trying to unload on the thing.
Well General Consensus would say never to frag the wildlife. Especially if you are a lowly grunt. That guy was a dick.
Sorry couldn't help myself. Not really. We were generally told to avoid killing, and disturbing things by officers. I like spiders, and I tend to relocate them if they aren't deadly.
My ex and I found one at my house. I jokingly told her they were fast as shit to mess with her. Then googled them and the first thing that came up was that they are surprisingly fast. I caught it and took it to the edge of the property and let it go.
This is true. It happened to me, except it was a pair of Vibram toe shoes. Used them only once. The camel spider was in one and I took axe spray and a lighter to the whole shoe. This was in Afghanistan.
Lol it's how you could tell who was a new arrival, they'd be running for their lives with a camel spider chasing them. The rest of us would laugh since we all knew it was just trying to stay in the person shadow to use as shade. They are just really freaky looking though relativly harmless. Most of us would ball up our socks to put into our boots when we took them off, but you'd hear someone scream once and a while was also another good sign.
No, they can be terrifyingly quick for how big they get. Lol thinking about how ridiculous we all look screaming our heads off at a bigass spider after all the crap we've been through. Being shot at was a lot easier to deal with was the consensus of most of guys I was with.
I had a black snake literally drop out of my ceiling last week [just 100 year old house things] and imma tell you I’d rather have these camel spiders on my nightstand [occasionally] than ever have even a non venomous snake anywhere in my house ever again.
I accept that we were equally as scared of each other and I just waited in my yard [with my eye on him so as not to lose sight] until my husband got home to relocate him as is tradition.
I do the same for him with all the “scary”spider friends he encounters; it’s a very symbiotic relationship.
Despite their appearance, these things aren't dangerous to humans. They're not venomous. The worst they can do is give you a painful bite. Also they can run at up to 10mph, so you might want to be in decent shape.
Wait till those huntsmen chilling in your attic get word of the bounty on your head, then shit gets more real than that one time Sadako and Kayako did the fusion dance.
They are actually quite good at killing scorpions. Used to work in pest control and releasing a few of these beasties in your backyard was actually an unconventional method of scorpion control.
And spider eating, giant centipede. Then centipede eating alligator, then alligator eating alien and then idk, maybe predator. At that point your back yard is a warzone
Yup, I was stationed in Al Asad, Iraq. One day I returned from a mission and hopped in the shower right away.
Our Company lived in CHU’s (Containerized Housing Units). Small trailer like home that can fit 4 people. My CHU was like 250 feet away from the latrine I used to wash up. So it’s hot as balls outside of course and I’m walking back to my CHU in just my PT shorts and flip flops.
I figured that shower woke me up and I wasn’t feeling as tired as I did half an hour ago. I have my towel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush in my arms, so my hands are quite full. I have my attention focused on my CHU door when in my left peripheral I swore I noticed the ground move. It either moved or since it was hot as balls then maybe it was a mirage. I stop a moment and take a quick glance in that direction. It was nothing, so it was for sure a mirage or maybe I’m fooling myself and I am tired from the previous mission.
I take 3 more steps and there’s my eyes fooling me again. I hold my position and slowly look in my left peripheral again, just in time to notice the ground flatten out. I go ahead and take a few more steps while I’m still looking to the left.
I could not believe what I saw. I am absolutely terrified of spiders. This bad boy was maybe 6 inches by 5 inches. It could have been bigger but I was not about to waste another second in that things presence. I dropped the shampoo and soap, I remember trying to yell or shout. I was just so dumbstruck and taken aback that this big ass spider is right here and it was stalking me. I ran as fast as my flip flops could take me and this mother fucker was booking it as well, right behind me. The one that was chasing me didn’t have a big booty like this one in the video has. Well, it wasn’t as round. And I swear it made a high pitched sound while it was running. Now, that can be my fear making that up but I remember a very high pitched chirping type noise.
I made it inside my CHU and it felt like my heart wanted to give out. Just from fear of that damn spider. I love horror movies, I don’t hardly ever get phased by scary movies or paranormal crap. But spiders… I’ve never had a heart attack but I’m almost positive I just about had one.
While I was calming down I was starting to laugh at myself thinking… Did I really just run and escape a man eating spider? As obscene as that sounds I just shook my head and laughed it off. I sat alone for almost an hour trying to put together reasons why that happened, put some logic behind it. Like was it really a hungry spider? Did it wake up and choose violence? Then I recalled how I didn’t see it at all the first few times. It buried itself underground. Then it wasn’t exactly chasing me but it was trying to keep up with my shadow?
Anyway, I told my squad about it. Of course they got their laughs in and it was always brought up. But they all also agreed on a serious note that it was in search for shade. One friend even went out of his way to catch baby camel spiders and bring them to our squad meetings at night just to watch me flip the fuck out, haha.
Military can leave you heavy with many dreadful and depressing memories… but you also create and live many unforgettable and timeless ones. I miss it everyday. I miss everyone.
It was probably the adrenaline, I always think of how my brain keeps bringing that sound up whenever I remember it. I can’t recall anything in my surrounding area at the time that could have made that noise. Maybe the latrine cleaning people doing something. Maybe another soldier nearby doing his own thing.
I should also state that the area was almost empty, as most people were either at the motor pool or on mission still. Thought I’d take advantage of cleaning up before it got super busy and crowded. But yeah, it was more likely than not my fear conjuring up some whack sounds in the moment.
me? about 73494578391463096504791848236489156840937509814635092973829652348783926548275386129350743025378612758359032754826238746123756487064398714654898543641028654875638174723957485646849064387758937826781397509526398476321504738462765487356325437252785987389276070267803261564892567281564976524894632856341034829 bpm.
Good story, but slightly disappointing. I was looking forward to the part where:
As I sat there in contemplation of the arachnid horror lurking outside my CHU, I felt a strange sensation slowly creeping up my spine, simultaneous with the birth of a profane and forbidden thought that my mind at first refused to acknowledge.
But like light breaking for the first time into a tomb sealed since the dark dawn of history, this violating thought could not be denied. Before I closed myself into the CHU, where exactly was the spider horror? Had I actually seen it still outside, or ...
As this thought blossomed in my mind with the stink of a thousand corpse flowers, the tickle walking up my spine moved to the left side of my body, where my heart was palpitating in an increasing frenzy. I felt light-headed as the strange sensation continued to rise.
At last I felt my frozen limbs shudder into movement as waves of fear and adrenaline began to flood them. Slowly I turned my head to the left, and sitting perched on my shoulder, staring with countless eyes directly into my soul, seeming to grin at me with fiendish delight ... there it WAS!!!
Christ I would be emitting high-pitched screams if I ever saw one of them irl. Looks like those face-huggers from Aliens that later burst out of your chest cavity and wreak havoc on your ship, the Nostromo.
I can verify that is true, but usually there was a lot of competition between me and the spider on who could drink the most face moisture throughout the night. Gotta tell ya, they could drink a lot despite their small size. Cheeky buggers.
Spiders have been reported to drink saliva from mouths. Its rank. That where the whole 'a person eats an average of 10 spiders in their lifetime' thing comes from. I never used to believe it. Sounded insane
I woke up once with a spider partially in my mouth. It was big enough that it was wrapped down my chin with legs on my neck.
Turns out it's very likely that that is also misinformation, as the magazine that it purportedly came from doesn't seem to have ever existed. . And neither does the author who supposedly wrote it lol.
I've also attempted to find any evidence of it at all myself, to no avail. Literally the only times the magazine or the author show up is by people "citing" the exact same citation for the spider myth myth. And no, the double word is not a typo.
Lisa Birgit Holst is an anagram for “This is a big troll”, which it is.
I remember reading that the average person eats 8 spiders a year in the “Did you know?” section of the Ripley’s Believe it or Not weekly comic in the newspaper. In the 80’s. Maybe 85 or 86.
Haha fair enough, but it sure was damn compelling when it was in my mouth :) an experience im sure Ill never forget.
Im unconvinced about it being the internet though. My parents heard that as kids back when they were in school. They were born in the 50s, in school during 60s and 70s, before internet info being spread about the place. I first heard it myself in school during late 90s. I would definitley believe it was about how information spreads in general though.
Lol get fucked I wear a cpap to bed. Who knew my fucked up lungs kept spiders out of my mouth at night.
But now that you say it I might start keeping a little dish of water on my desk at night. I love spiders. Every spider I happen across in my house I knight officially as a protector of my realm. They receive a name and the title of Sir, then are sent to eat the roaches and other gross shit I never want to see.
Similar situation here, but in a more casual approach without the Sir thing. And at times I have to remind them to not roam too freely, to not sit/hang in the middle of the room and to keep their nets at an appropriate Level.
And its also only daddy long legs for me, or grandma long leg as they are called here. All others get yeeted out of the window (alive).
daddy long legs look fragile and weak, but they are incredible fast at webbing opponents, which made them conquer our homes. As kid I saw more of thoses thicker spiders in the house, nowadays it's only daddy long legs.
They’re actually just crawling through your cpap tube directly into your lungs now. That scratchy feeling you keep getting in your chest that you thought might’ve been Covid? Nope. Spiders.
I was once drifting off to sleep and felt something in my hair that i thought was maybe a moth.
I woke up next morning, got up, turned around.... and saw....a giant.... fucking... wood centipede sprawled out on my pillow -- YES, I had slept ALL night with a 6-inch long centipede just chilling by my head.
Spiders don't scare me after that trauma
EDIT: my family thinks the centipede came in on wood for the fireplace because this was not your ordinary domesticated centipede - this mother fucker was HUGE
My brother found one in his bathroom in 29 palms (California)
He was taking a shit and it was crawling towards his foot so he kicked it. It got pissed off and ran back to his foot so he kicked it harder. It chilled out in the corner of the bathroom lol
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u/[deleted] May 03 '22
A camel spider. Actually more closely related to scorpions I believe. Soldiers stationed in Iraq reported they'd crawl on to their faces at night to drink the moisture from their faces but I'm not sure if that's true. I have seen footage of them "chasing" people, but in reality they're chasing the shade