When I was 10, my friend and I went into this old worn down house, (been abandon) it had this house like shed. It was very dark with a lot of spider webs in it. It had a cement walls half way up then the rest was wood, dirt floor, but I think orginally it was cement, because the dirt was very hard like walking on cement and it was by a water, (sound) so if it flooded it would have kinda have dirt floors. Very hot, in the south USA. Well my friend told me come over to her, to looked at these strange spiders, I thought she was trippin'. Anyway, I did, and they were a bunch of them, on the cement wall. They were black, pretty much hairless. They were big, about the same of your palm minus your fingers. The body was fat, not thick or thin legs; between. But here is the thing

They had one pair of grasshopper legs. It was really creepy. We were going to poke one with a stick, but got scare, because wasn't sure if it would jump at us, and if one jump would they all started jumping. so, we ran out of there.

Has anyone ever heard of this, I am not very knowledgable when it comes to spiders but I told people this and no one I met has seen this. so, have any of you?
Thanks, I am just curious.

You've got me with this one... Camel Spider?

Camel Spiders sound about right. Most people assume camel spiders in the middle east, but they are found along our borders down here in Texas towards Mexico.

Also, camel spiders are NOT spiders at all... They are cousins with scorpions but without the tail.

Here's a video of one eating a lizard... http://www.videovat.com/videos/521/camel-spider.aspx

ohdeargawd.......... *passes out*

I didn't think the camel spider was native to the U.S. I know they are common in the middle east. Ya they creep me out, but I suspect it's something else.

the ones he's describing are black though, and less hair.

I've seen the ones you're talking about in TX... never related them to the camel spider but yeah they look like spiders and are related to the scorpion. They have these club things where the scorpions pinchers would be and there's no stinging tail. Those are paler... like a pale brown kinda or pale light tan...

Think I've seen a similar bug you're talking about. Have seen about 2 or 3 ever maybe... if I see one will try and take a pic. I called it a spider-cricket and it's freaky looking... Like a half-cricket that got grafted to a spider lol. Difference is size they're maybe the size of a quarter or so so might not be same bug.

*shivers* I absolutely hate spider-crickets! The first time I encountered them was in a pitch black basement. The only light was a bare bulb hanging in the center that you had to pull the chain to turn on. I felt something bouncing around me and when I turned on the light I was surrounded by hundreds of them. Those suckers can jump at least five feet high.

When I lived in GA we used to get a bug like that but not quite as big. It looked like a cricket/spider hybrid. It jumped and they'd always be in our garage. I dreaded having to go wash clothes because those things were scary!!

Great, you can just ROCK me to sleep tonight.

Here's are all the Texas Version, though there are several... also known as Wind Scorpian /Sun Spider...

I'm not saying this is what the OP saw, but you can't rule it out if there are more than one species... here are some...

Note that all the images below show the rear legs folding backwards real similar to a grasshopper rear leg.

http://www.texasento.net/Solifugids.htm





http://www.ttup.ttu.edu/BookPages/0896723372.html

eww. that's them.

pretty sure that's not what the OP is talking about though.

ew. bleh. yeech. and he just lets it crawl on his arm.

And these are called Soldier termites..

There are dozens upon dozens of different arachnids and arachnid 'cousins' creeping around that people rarely come across, although they're usually pretty usual.

But I think the OP could be talking about Camel Crickets (aka Cave Crickets):



Don't you just love him?

spider pictures .....okay thats cool

but that is u.g.l.y and gross!!!!

went on google and found

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l10/sary...idercricket.jpg
http://www.thegreatwallnut.com/wp-content/.../07/spicket.JPG

that's close, but seems bigger and isn't black.

So thinking it's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_cricket but that's in Australia I think... I'm in TX... so, it's probably our version of it. Neither of those pics is it tho. It's black, and small. And that may not even be what the OP saw?

those pics give me the willies

I personally couldn't mistake these for spiders...

I have no idea,but,being arachnaphobic,I would be out of there real fast

I'm guessing it was a camel spider and it just looked like it was black because of the poor light conditions. Unlike these other posters, I don't have a strong arachnophobia, but I would definitely freak out if I saw a camel spider or a "spider-cricket", that's catchy. Very catchy.

"They're able to jump extremely long distances and they have eight eyes, but, are they able to see why kids love Cinnamonn Toast Crunch?"

[quote name='Raptor X7' date='Feb 5 2007, 11:11 PM' post='1530981']
There are dozens upon dozens of different arachnids and arachnid 'cousins' creeping around that people rarely come across, although they're usually pretty usual.

But I think the OP could be talking about Camel Crickets (aka Cave Crickets):



Don't you just love him?

Creepy, I think I am going to have nightmares tonight.
This is pretty close. But, I remember the body more spider like (rounded not long), legs were thicker, no antennas.
there were four spider like legs on the first half of the body, the first half was round, like a half sphere. Then on the second half of the body were the grasshopper legs, like the ones you show. Then there were one pair of back legs, spider looking. No tail or anything.
This was South Carolina. My dad was in the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard base was about 5 miles away, there were lots of ships in and out of port from different countries, most from the atlantic ocean, Greenland to South American, Africa and Europe, Mexico and islands and the east coast of the US. This was by a sound that dumped into the Atlantic Ocean, swamp/marsh land. Just some background information. Hot and damp area.
We had flashlights because we always exploring inside of abandon house and there was no lights. When we put the flashlight on them it was strange they never moved. YOu would think because it was pretty much pitch black in there that light would bothered them. They never moved that is why we were going to poke it with a stick. There were lots of spider webs there but they hunged out on the cement wall, there were no webs.
This is how I remember it. I remember looking at it for a while because I never seen anything like it before. I guess it could of been those camel crickets, but it was a little different, more spider like. Maybe a cousin or something.
Well, thanks everyone, I actually learned a few things. I never knew the types of animals y'all have shown me existed either. All of those pictures would freak me out if I ever saw them. Luckily I live where there are not many bugs and spiders. Thank Goodness.
Thanks again everyone.

Hmmmm.... I've seen those.... a good possibility.

I would think Whip scorpion, but those are found in Asia. Spider cricket or the sun spider sounds about right to me.

Could you imagine the crunch that would make when you stepped on it accidentally on purpose?

blech, I don't have to imagine, we have those around here too. Camel crickets have a rather hard shell. I used to have a dog that would kill them for me but now I have to do it myself.

Blahh! Whip scorpians! I hate those things. I thought about them too, but the OP said the rear legs are like a cricket, grasshopper, locus-t.. ...etc.




So that's why I thought of Camel Spider aka Sun spider/Wind scorpian.

8 legs, and 2 front pincers

There's also Pseudo Scorpians, but are too small.

It would be easier if the OP would help with the discussion...

Yup.... we need verification...

A mole cricket, perhaps? They're big and if you don't know what you're looking at they can be pretty scary looking.

Double blah! ... that thing is ugly.

I haven't heard of mole crickets climbing walls or being in groups... They don't really go to the surface, they live their lives in the soil.

No the US has it owns species of whip scorpion.

Really?

Oh, look!

From New Mexico!

Whip Scorpion from Puerto Rico


Whip Scorpion from Japan

Whip scorpions definatly got a big hit off the ugly stick didn't they.

LOL! They sure did! I wonder if they think we're ugly?

I am, looked a couple of posts before you made this one.


Frogfish,
That is way more scarier than what I saw, thank goodness.

He's...he's...CUTE!

Every spider in this thread looks like they need a good hug, just not from me(hey they are cute but I don't want to get bit!)

That and this one are more like what I used to see.

That thing looks like it's holding-up the house, for cryin out loud..........and therefore must die.

They're just crickets, for crying out loud.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd your point would beeeeeeeeee, what?

The description sounds like a whip tail scorpian to me......either that or u just discovered a new species of jumping spiders.

So you'd stand in a dark room with them coated in spam grease?

That depends on why I'd be in a basement coated in spam grease to begin with.

.... OhMyGoodness ... those are creepy *shudders*

Fascinating, but creepy!

I sure would like to see a pic of the OP's spiders, I'm really intrigued, if none of the pics posted so far are the culprits!

Hmmmm...lemme see....where do I start?

Woah! Seen alot of these pseudo scorpions and even real scorpion. I live in a tropical country and there's alot of them here!

These are called "zweepspinnen" in my language, I dunno what they're called in English.

Thats the whipscorpion.