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Nature & Environment

Camel spider bite puts soldier in hospital

By T.K. Randall
March 21, 2012 · Comment icon 23 comments

Image Credit: US Military
One solider spent three months in hospital after being bitten by a camel spider while on duty in Iraq.
Soldiers who are sent to Iraq are trained to look out for many hidden dangers but spiders tend not to be one of them. Lance Corporal Sammy O'Gorman spent three months in hospital and underwent 17 operations after being bitten on the thigh by a camel spider while on patrol in Basra. Although the spider's bite is not poisonous it can still prove lethal due to bacteria in its saliva. "When I went to Iraq, the biggest threat was the IED," he said. "You just did not have time to worry about spiders. I didn't see the spider or feel the bite."
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.


Source: Daily Mail | Comments (23)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #14 Posted by Sakari 12 years ago
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. 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 large... [More]
Comment icon #15 Posted by missymoo999 12 years ago
Considering Marks_Thoughts,posted exactly what I said my friend told me,and he witnessed it himself,I dare say it's proof you just disblieve everything because you haven't had experience yourself,so everyone else is lying. My friend has been to Egypt numerous times,and she and I both ,have better things to do than to make things up about a spider .
Comment icon #16 Posted by Paranormalcy 12 years ago
From Camelspider.org, given by HerNibs. They are not dangerous, but because of their appearance, and the many myths circulating about them, primarily by soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, Camel spider have a reputation as brutal and merciless desert animals. Camel spiders, like Solifugids, are nocturnal animals. Soldier claims that Camel Spiders chase people in the Iraqi desert but it is, of course, also according to scientists, the shadow that the animals are seeking. Camel spiders are neither dangerous nor venomous, and humans have nothing to fear from Camel spiders. The hoax about h... [More]
Comment icon #17 Posted by msmike1 12 years ago
Camel spiders are not really even actual spiders. They are more scorpion than spider and are not dangerous. They might make you hurt yourself getting out of their way, but they are not dangerous to humans. As has been stated there are a million myths about these things, but none are true. They don't chase people, they don't kill people with their bite, they don't grow to the sizes reported. I hate spiders, but this is just a load of BS. As unsanitary as that area is, any open wound can get infected if left untreated. This could lead to blood poisoning, which obviously is life threatening, but ... [More]
Comment icon #18 Posted by Ninhursag 12 years ago
Spiders Creep Me Out Period. I've Red Somewhere That During Sleep People Swallow A Certain Number Of Spiders During Their Lifetime .. I Don't Know Whether This Is True Or Not .. Moral Of The Story: Sleep With Your Mouth Shut!!
Comment icon #19 Posted by Emin 12 years ago
Camel spider say what?! Camel spider say heck yeaaah!
Comment icon #20 Posted by Contract Killer Romeo 12 years ago
had one living under our weapons conex box. I don't know if it was the same one, but one of them liked to come inside our hooch (door wouldnt close completely). I always just tightened down my sleeping bag as much as it could.
Comment icon #21 Posted by Sundew 12 years ago
From Camelspider.org, given by HerNibs. Thank you for bringing some scientific understanding to the issue. I wouldn't expect news organizations to have access to anything like say, the internet for actual facts. I once saw a 300 pound painter going berserk trying to kill a 6" long skink with a shovel. Fortunately for the skink, he was too terrified to have good aim. When I asked him why he was behaving like a madman he assured me that this was a dangerously poisonous (I assume he meant venomous) animal and would bite you. I assured him I had been bitten by dozens of them as a kid because they ... [More]
Comment icon #22 Posted by Sakari 12 years ago
Thank you for bringing some scientific understanding to the issue. I wouldn't expect news organizations to have access to anything like say, the internet for actual facts. I once saw a 300 pound painter going berserk trying to kill a 6" long skink with a shovel. Fortunately for the skink, he was too terrified to have good aim. When I asked him why he was behaving like a madman he assured me that this was a dangerously poisonous (I assume he meant venomous) animal and would bite you. I assured him I had been bitten by dozens of them as a kid because they don't like being caught and that you usu... [More]
Comment icon #23 Posted by ZaraKitty 12 years ago
Just be thankful they're not common inside houses


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