23 replies to this topic

[Still Waters]

www.dailymail.co.uk said:

When Lance Corporal Sammy O’Gorman learned he was being sent to fight in Iraq, he immediately thought of the dangers of deadly roadside bombs.

But it was not an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by insurgents that nearly cost the  28-year-old his life.

L/Cpl O’Gorman spent three months in intensive care and underwent 17 operations – after being bitten on the thigh by a giant spider.

Read more...

[~TheBigK~]

I shouldn't have read this. And I shouldn't have scrolled down to read the comments either, like this one:

"I was in Iraq 12 years ago and woke up with one of these lanqiuishing for a bit of shut eye on my nice warm face. All 9 inches of him. luckily, was much worser looking first thing and the spider legged it at a guess around 15 miles an hour out the door."

I would die.

[_Only]

I have seen a picture of the camel spider before. Won't be clicking the link. He survived; that's good enough for me.

[I Am Not Resisting]

My husband got to see some of these spiders while deployed twice, luckily they never had a close interaction.

[Alienated Being]

My skin is itching as I think about this arachnid. Omg. *shudders*

[Simbi Laveau]

One of my friends has her Ph.D. in Egyptology,and archeology.Shes been on numerous digs in Egypt,and she told me stories about these things.
She said they have tried to kill them,like crushing it with a rock,and it squirts blood,and you think it's dead,but it's not.It feigns death.
She said the blood squirt is a self defense mechanism ,so you think it's dead,but then it gets up and runs off.
She said they also follow you.Shes seen them following people and herself,but if it's light out,it actually goes inside the outline of your shadow,so you dont see it.
Shes never been bitten,and generally ,you only have to worry about them out in the desert,not in cities,but they sneak into tents and so forth,and crawl up on people while they sleep.
I mean gross.

Edited by missymoo999, 21 March 2012 - 03:51 PM.

[wild_deuce03]

I had to register just to comment on this one.  I've been to Iraq 4 times and have never seen a camel spider the size of the one in the picture.  Everything I've read about them has their largest size being up to 5 inches.  The pics of the mammoth camel spiders are fake.  Trust me, they're still creepy, but not near what the media tries to make them.

[HerNibs]

wild_deuce03, on 21 March 2012 - 04:09 PM, said:

I had to register just to comment on this one.  I've been to Iraq 4 times and have never seen a camel spider the size of the one in the picture.  Everything I've read about them has their largest size being up to 5 inches.  The pics of the mammoth camel spiders are fake.  Trust me, they're still creepy, but not near what the media tries to make them.

Yeah, my son said the same thing.  (Deployed 2x's to Afghanistan, 2x's to Iraq).

Info on camel spiders.

6 inches according to this.

Nibs

[Fluffybunny]

Any kind of bite that is left to fester for two weeks before it is dealt with with result in potential infection.

[Leonardo]

Fluffybunny, on 21 March 2012 - 04:46 PM, said:

Any kind of bite that is left to fester for two weeks before it is dealt with with result in potential infection.

True, but admitting he got an infection because he was too much of a pillock to get the bite treated when it happened doesn't sound as heroic as "been attacked by a huge spider, who infected/injected me with lethal bacteria".

Edited by Leonardo, 21 March 2012 - 07:52 PM.

[TheSpoonyOne]

Maybe this will stop immature soldiers throwing these horrible things on their fellow soldiers in the middle of the night.

So many seem to be unable to get it through their heads that, with moral being vital in a war zone, the last thing you need to do is throw a huge camel spider on someone with nerves that might already be really wrecked, and if you're like me, has an incredibly bad case of arachnophobia. If someone did that to me, then frankly the 'I'll watch your back, you watch mine' mindset would seriously be damaged. If you don't have arachnophobia then you won't understand.

Edited by TheSpoonyOne, 21 March 2012 - 10:44 PM.

[Marks_Thoughts]

I was in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War. One night I was filling my Hummer at a fuel point. One of those things went running by, then back, then back the other way. Each time getting closer to the pump. So, I picked up a good size rock and when it ran by again I tossed the rock - and by some miracle I actually hit the thing!
I was feeling smug, thinking it couldn't possibly have survived. Then, I saw that rock move and the creature popped out and ran away! Well, since I didn't want to have to fire my pistol at the fuel pump I hung up the pump and got the H out of there. I still think about that and it creeps me out.

[jbefumo]

Just goes to show - like flies, some spiders eat SH1T!

[Sakari]

missymoo999, on 21 March 2012 - 03:50 PM, said:

One of my friends has her Ph.D. in Egyptology,and archeology.Shes been on numerous digs in Egypt,and she told me stories about these things.
She said they have tried to kill them,like crushing it with a rock,and it squirts blood,and you think it's dead,but it's not.It feigns death.
She said the blood squirt is a self defense mechanism ,so you think it's dead,but then it gets up and runs off.
She said they also follow you.Shes seen them following people and herself,but if it's light out,it actually goes inside the outline of your shadow,so you dont see it.
Shes never been bitten,and generally ,you only have to worry about them out in the desert,not in cities,but they sneak into tents and so forth,and crawl up on people while they sleep.
I mean gross.

Either your friend or you are trying to pull someones leg.......



I also doubt this story of 17 surgeries from a bite....Even if it became infected.

[Sakari]

I should have added these to my last post......These two are the reliable replies, and what I would trust as true stories coming from Iraq........Pretty sad when people pretend that they risk their lives for our country.

The ones that really do are hero's....

Wild Deuce, Thanks for Serving !

HerNibs, please thank your son also !



Anyway, 2 below are great information........Last one.....not so much at all.

wild_deuce03, on 21 March 2012 - 04:09 PM, said:

I had to register just to comment on this one.  I've been to Iraq 4 times and have never seen a camel spider the size of the one in the picture.  Everything I've read about them has their largest size being up to 5 inches.  The pics of the mammoth camel spiders are fake.  Trust me, they're still creepy, but not near what the media tries to make them.

HerNibs, on 21 March 2012 - 04:43 PM, said:

Yeah, my son said the same thing.  (Deployed 2x's to Afghanistan, 2x's to Iraq).

Info on camel spiders.

6 inches according to this.

Nibs

Sorry, I do not believe this bottom one at all, and shame on you for imitating a soldier.............

Just my opinion, unless the rock was the size of a quarter.....And I am not to sure military vehicles are filled  at fuel pumps in the sand.......Also, Soldiers call them " Humvees ", civilians call them " Hummers ".....

Nice try though.

Marks_Thoughts, on 21 March 2012 - 11:46 PM, said:

I was in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War. One night I was filling my Hummer at a fuel point. One of those things went running by, then back, then back the other way. Each time getting closer to the pump. So, I picked up a good size rock and when it ran by again I tossed the rock - and by some miracle I actually hit the thing!
I was feeling smug, thinking it couldn't possibly have survived. Then, I saw that rock move and the creature popped out and ran away! Well, since I didn't want to have to fire my pistol at the fuel pump I hung up the pump and got the H out of there. I still think about that and it creeps me out.

Edited by Sakari, 22 March 2012 - 04:01 AM.