I'm not convinced, I'm still pretty sure that they actually are camels. Don't let the controlled mass media and their supposed 'scientists who study these things' tell you otherwise.🙃
Raised in poverty in the desert, I've had a countless amount of these things crawl up my pant leg and in my bed. In Iraq, they were everywhere. I was once awoken by one crawling on my face. It was only a few years ago that I learned they aren't venomous, but by then the psychological damage had already been done.
We had one too. We called it Timothy. Unfortunately our Sgt Maj gave him a dextrose tablet from the ration pack and we never saw Timothy again. Funnily enough the Iraqi army surrendered the next day.
>Say they're harmless and can't break skin >Shows it eating a goddamn bird alive bigger than it itself Nightmares ensured nonetheless. And despite not having venom, liquefying it's prey before sucking it's juices out is just as terrifying. Looks like it could a cousin to the facehugger.
A birds skin is MUCH thinner than a humans, plus it was only slightly larger than the camel spider so it was either young or just a tiny bird (don't know my birds).
Right? When I find a spider in my house I'm shrieking, "ERMAGERD it's HUUUUUGE!!!" and it's about the size of a quarter (or probably less...). I'd probably die of a damn heart attack if I ran across something like this!
Me: *It's kinda hard to believe that spiders and scorpions are related...* Mother Nature: *Here's a tailless scorpion thing with spider legs and a giant spider head. Enjoy the nightmares!*
My friend has a video from overseas that disproves the size claim. Dude had a size 14 boot, we found one under a truck that was bigger than his foot. Not a human killer but shit that was freaky to see scuttling around.
Yup, I’ve been be of those soldiers that has been chased. Wasn’t fun being chased, ran for about 50-60 meters before I found refuge on top of a humvee. The camel spider was then content with the shade of the humvee.
**Shows clip of camel spider eating bird** wait a minute Dr. Paula is wearing a shirt with a camel spider print Emily is wearing a dress with small birds on it Conclusion? Dr. Paula is gonna eat Emily. _Run Emily, run!!!_
Saw some in Saudi and we used to “freeze” with can of air, which is pressurized and cold. Then we could move them out of our area and they just warm up and start moving again.
I don't know what she's smoking but as An afghan man I have been bitten once in Afghanistan by on those Camel spider they're so nasty trust me it's hurts so bad 🤢
I've been bit by the little bastards all the time, and they're bites don't even leave a mark. That bird is very small, and is easier for the arachnid to tear into.
I've always thought arachnids were fascinating. About 20 years ago I lived in a flat in London and a beautiful large orb web spider made a web on our window. She lived there for a few months but one day she just disappeared. I presume she was eaten by a bird but I was genuinely sad. The spot she had chosen was absolutely perfect for watching her and it was amazing to watch how she spun her webs and caught her prey. She provided hours of entertainment. I miss her.
Its possible your spider wasn't catching much prey and chose to move to a new location, or her web simply got old and she needed to spin a new one. I don't think their webs stay sticky forever, it could also be that the web was too exposed to the elements and she just moved to somewhere more protected.
@@richardbidinger2577 orb weavers eat their webs in order to recycle the material. if the web was still there it's not likely the spider was still alive.
Wow, what a lovely interview. Such sincere passion and joy over the unknown…..such a blessing thank you all. Dr was too cute and so compassionate. May God bless all the works of your hands.
cant penetrate skin? and than show eating bird? non venimous ? she forget to say when that thing bite you and start chewing on you you do not feel a thing . may be she should sleep a night next to them to see what happens. BTW that bird was still alive when that thing was chewing on it , just for your own info that insect can paralise so you actually do not feel a thing.
@@psyxxxo Our skin bub, not a birds skin. Our skin is one of the thickest in the animal kingdom and is quite literally designed to be our first and best line of defense. Comparing a bird the size of a baseball to a human is a bit comical.
@@croaton07I'm not that dumb. Many creatures have hides or skin tougher than humans. Rhinos Elephants Hippopotamus Cows Bison Moose Beavers Anteaters Armadillos Most apes and primates I could sit here and type for a few days, but unlike some others, I have a life. Read less
Brian Luna seems about right. Australia: so your pretty terrifying Camel spider: aw thanks Australia: in fact, we could use another giant venomous spider around here so- Camel spider: oh, I’m not venomous. Australia: oh... well sorry about that, but that is a necessity so yeah. Hope you have a good day
Better to die of poison than to be devoured alive. And you don't need a strong poison to kill small animals. I get the impression that "nature" is deliberately trying to be more violent than rational.
A great interview. The interviewer did not continually interupt as some do and the expert explained in understandable ways which some do not! Altogether and great way to start a Monday morning. Thank you.
Thank you youtube for showing me this. The camel spider is an interesting creature that I had no idea about until today. Also I love the energy they have talking about them. When you see someone truly passionate about what they do, it's amazing to witness.
I have some of these (not) little guys in my garden in West Texas. Gotta love them, I always put out halved coconut shells for them to crawl into. I felt bad everytime I watered my plants and they'd have to scurry away to avoid drowning. They're really pretty harmless and strangely curious.
@@Zeitgeist2000 no they do live in USA too. I used to see a couple every night when I lived Las Vegas, NV and fueled heavy equipment they are fast and love to run non stop hated those things
Sahara swings from tropical oasis to desert around every 20,000 years. Media should enjoy that long run of climate change programming. I’ll be dead and won’t care though.
@@johnboylong40 The Sahara used to be lush forest and grassland but was over farmed and too much cattle... I know CO2 from humans absolutely does not contribute to climate warming change but as far as geological studies show that one was evidently due to humans. Last I checked, anyway. Also, while it's cyclically been dry before, there's no evidence it was that huge, a literal ocean of sand... it's not really foreseeable that it will naturally be fertile again; it's frikkin sand. Just a FYI, have a good one.
I remember when I was stationed in the desert, one of many times, people would be running at night around the track with her little flashlights. And camel spiders would chase them. All the stuff we like to say about them in the desert, we know is not true. But somewhere deep inside I think many people are afraid that maybe it just are.
My husband once found one of these guys outside at his workplace. He thought it was a great find so he chased it around with a cup until he caught it then brought it home and gave it to me as a belated birthday present. One of the most interesting gifts I've gotten.
I was so busy coveting Dr. Cushing's shirt that I could hardly pay attention! No, but seriously, this was a very good video and it cleared up so many misconceptions that I had. Thank you for posting this!
Right. We were told they have an anesthetic, so you couldn't feel them eating your face (or the camel couldn't feel them eating their way inside). We were told this by Medical Doctors for the US ARMY. So it's pretty surprising to hear these things don't attack or anything. I mean, we were shown pictures of Soldiers with parts of their faces gone in our Briefings. Feels weird they'd just make that up and make it a CLASS when in-boarding into Iraq.
@@theclimbto1 When was this? If it was back in Desert Storm or even Iraq in the early 2000's our knowledge about these buggers was literally none because the only place they live in the US is the Sierra desert so not many people had ever even seen one, much less let it bite them. Not to mention that out of proportion picture that did the rounds for a few years. They may have decided in light of little knowledge it was best to just tell servicemen to stay away and made some shit up to insure they would.
The lady "expert" is correct, in my many encouters with Camel Spiders in both the Sahara and the Rub al Khali I hve obsedved that they try to use your shadow as a sunshade.
Other fun common names include: wind scorpion and sun scorpion, although they are not scorpions, wind, nor sun In some places,, haarskeerders and baardskeerders -- haircutters and beardcutters? and lastly: jerrymunglum. I have no explanation.
Yeah, Paula took that video of them mating and it might be the only one like it in the world. Just think, you could go to school to study such a ~*beautiful*~ mystery of nature
thebrainscoop "so, what are you studying these days?" "WHY MALE CAMEL SPIDERS CHEW ON THE FEMALE'S GENITAL OPENING DURING MATING" "... that child ain't right"
Arthropod sex is weird. I've heard of some species of insects that literally impale their mates with sperm packets because whatever genital opening - if any - doesn't really accommodate what we would consider "normal sex". I'm sure the camel spider's cunnilingus skills serve a similar purpose.
5 seconds in and I knew Dr Cushing was going to make this awkward....and she didnt disappoint....the poor interviewer sat there awkwardly as she went into every detail of the mating ritual, sparing no detail. this became an R rated video at that point.
"They're not venomous and completely harmless" **only place its not located in aside from the Antarctic is Australia** Of course its not dangerous enough to be in the AU
A friend of ours in OZ was driving on a desert road when a bloody great spider dropped out from underneath her cars dash .She went off the road in a panic and legged it outta the car in blind panic When she called auto rescue the guy was not too keen on locating it inside the car .lol🤗
While I do appreciate Dr Paula's effort, no amount of science will make anyone keep his cool when an 8 inch thing that looks like a mad spider-scorpion and runs like the wind is coming at you... xD cheers!
Once when I was on gate guard in Kuwait a Camel Spider approached me at night. It came towards then away. I knew it would come right back so I made a V with my booted feet and it ran straight into the V for shelter. And then I calmly stepped on it.
One part of my brain: Oh, that's actually really interesting to learn about them and how little they've been studied! The other part of my brain: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOPE NOPENOPE NOPE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE *pterodactyl screaming*
I worked all over the Middle East and East Africa, where camel spiders are common. They would often get into Accommodation huts and climb into boots to hide. In Sudan, we had several cases of workers waking up with rather large wounds and areas of necrotized flesh on their legs or arms that were attributed by the camp doctor to the nocturnal feeding habits of camel spiders. I always steered clear of them.
LOVED discovering this video and the interview. As a guy in his 50's that was somewhat discouraged from studying animals like "Camel spiders" and any critter remotely like them when I was a kid, it's great to see some focus and fame on them. Back in the 70's when I could not resist watching spiders, insects, birds, organisms in the rivers nearby (upstate N.Y.)... I had read about these camel spiders and always wanted to see one. Back then, the books I had only called them "Wind Scorpions" and so I still call them that; I tend to try and respect the easiest form of things if it fits well, because changes often don't help high numbers of people understand each other if it's jus common names. I understand when the researchers and those contributing to the science of them have to change the scientific name. That usually makes sense. In my childhood days, they were called "wind scorpions" because they "ran like the wind". I prefer that over some name a bunch of my fellow military ruffians called them. That's right- I got a chance to see the huge "Wind scorpions" when I was in Saudi Arabia for operation Southern watch, which was the tense after party of the first Gulf war trying to keep an eye on Saddam Hussein while his boys kept launching scud missiles even after we took over the middle of the country. I tried to tell the guys those "camel spiders" were actually from a family called solifugids and the common name was "Wind Scorpion", but they (as rednecks like my beginnings and many G.I.'s would have it) kept on insisting they attacked camels, just from their appearance and listening to equally clueless troops over my nerdy tendencies. Which reminds me... even Dr. Cushing calls them "Solfugids", and from the book I had as a kid in the 70's, to several other sources... I always read "Solifugids". I've been corrected by others saying it's "Solfugids", but I think they may be mistaken. I wonder, is it a habit developed out of unintentional laziness because when glanced at quickly, the word can appear to not have that "i"? Not that it matters that much, but as long as we're talking to the experts. Having said all that, Dr. Cushing seems like the ultimate scientist to work for. I wish I was younger and had the energy to start school again. I'd work towards that field for sure, and hopefully end up at the Denver museum.... but I also would love to work at the field museum!! I hear they haver the man eaters of Tsavo there! Also... I sadly missed the Columbia exposition featured there a few years back or so. I hope they do it again. Great
I was one of those naïve people who fell for the myths about the size of Camel spiders except I heard that they were not only massive but had a corrosive bite too that ate your flesh away! It seems totally ridiculous to me now after watching this and I'm so glad the Brain Scoop is here to keep informing us about this kind of thing. It was funny to hear about them chasing the shadows of people and not actually running after them! I also really want Dr. Cushings' shirt!
I recall seeing pictures of them about when Emily did (2004-ish), but the accompanying info said they were harmless. I guess my dubious internet sources were more reliable than yours.
I love learning about arachnids - as long theres some sort of barrier between me and them. They are just too fast and have way too many legs. And can we appreciate the shirt Dr. Cushing is wearing? Where do you even find a shirt with camel spiders on it!
She said a friend who is also an arachnologist custom made it for her! But f'real if like the Gap wants to put out a new line .... just sayin' I think they'd fly off the shelves
1: *describes horrific mating ritual of camel spiders* 2: "Wow... I mean that sounds like a couple of dates I've been on." Psh. Biologists and their sense of humor... 😂😍
Having actually seen several of them during my time in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, I can tell you that there ARE big ones and that they CAN jump to about chest level. They can also run really really fast.
Somebody needs to let this doctor know that camel spiders do not just live in desert areas. I live in Northern CA where the climate can be described as somewhere between Mediterranean and temperate and I see these guys several times a year. I have been sitting watching TV and had one walk across the living room floor like it owned the place. I have tried to keep them but even if you give your best attempt at replicating their environment they seem to go into some sort of 'captivity depression' and stop eating after awhile, so I let them go.
That was one heck of a mating ritual. But in all seriousness, I'm thankful for the video explaining this animal. I've seen the pictures and listen to the stories from veterans friends of mine and it was good to hear the real info. Thanks for the good work.
Glad we got the whole "them not being Camels" thing cleared up
I can finally sleep in peace
🤣🤣
Wait...hold up...its not a camel?!?!? *Mind explodes*
This comment deserves way more likes 😂😂
I'm not convinced, I'm still pretty sure that they actually are camels. Don't let the controlled mass media and their supposed 'scientists who study these things' tell you otherwise.🙃
Raised in poverty in the desert, I've had a countless amount of these things crawl up my pant leg and in my bed. In Iraq, they were everywhere. I was once awoken by one crawling on my face. It was only a few years ago that I learned they aren't venomous, but by then the psychological damage had already been done.
Oh no! That's awful, I'm sorry. I wish everyone could learn about them in a safe way ... not by having them crawl on your face.
David S. I Cant imagine i have arachnophobia so that sounds like a nightmare!
David S. Reading this comment gave me the hardest physical cringe in my life...
Just be glad it didn’t try to have sex with you.
Wow you're amazing..I tip my hat off to you sir
My tent in the military had one as a pet. They'd feed it ham sandwiches.
We had one too. We called it Timothy. Unfortunately our Sgt Maj gave him a dextrose tablet from the ration pack and we never saw Timothy again. Funnily enough the Iraqi army surrendered the next day.
@@mickfenner6515 bro your fucking funny lol
We had a big black scorpion for ours. Every once in a while, we caught a Camel spider for a battle royal....scorpion remained undefeated.
I swear to God if that scorpion fucked Timothy up, it's all been pointless and I am handing my medal back.
My heart overflowed with this knowledge. Thank you. ❣️
That mating ritual is something I really would love to unhear.
i mean, it's literally just foreplay -> fuck -> foreplay. idk what's wrong with it
Camel spiders can’t beat a beetle in single combat. Learned that in Afghanistan.
Elaborate. Now
They can beat a scorpion 1 on one,, learned that in iraq
Camel spider can slaughter a whole colony of ants. It don’t even kill them. It cripples them then push them out the way literally
They not spiders nor camels I learned that in North Korea
Explain this then lol
th-cam.com/video/11eJJ-i3eFU/w-d-xo.html
Camel-spiderman is going to make a heck of an addition to the Marvel lineup. Thanks for the back story Emily!
MinuteEarth I need to see a mockup of this character STAT
The Mary Jane Watson character in this new Marvel property will have a nasty surprise on their wedding night :X
+
Camel toe spider girl sounds more interesting
Is that just a female spiderman with a HUGE cameltoe?
Scientist: "It will pull the insect..."
Me: "THAT'S A FREAKING BIRD!!"
Fucking terrifying.
Well she said it was an insect and she is an expert so that makes it an insect
nope. it doesn't.
@Phantom SnakeX no, to the spider it's dinner it doesn't care what kind
@GENERAL DISARRAY'S BOSS 83 your father was a hamster and your mother smelled of elderberries!
>Say they're harmless and can't break skin
>Shows it eating a goddamn bird alive bigger than it itself
Nightmares ensured nonetheless. And despite not having venom, liquefying it's prey before sucking it's juices out is just as terrifying. Looks like it could a cousin to the facehugger.
Tea Burn Almost all arachnids liquifi their prey alive
What's a face hugger?
@@nevaehsmiracleconnieelliot2297 Nightmare fuel. for the longest time I used to have a fear of those things.
@@nevaehsmiracleconnieelliot2297 And once the egg lays a chestburster will litteraly burst out of your chest making a huge gap in hole
Birds have thinner skin than we do so yes it can eat little birds but not humans.
“They can’t hurt you” eats it’s way into a huge birds guts
Yeah, those two combined don't compute.
*huge*
its smaller than the spider. whats your definition of huge?
Birds don't really have thick skin
A birds skin is MUCH thinner than a humans, plus it was only slightly larger than the camel spider so it was either young or just a tiny bird (don't know my birds).
The bird wasn’t huge at all.
"They cant break your skin, our skin is tougher than you think"
Ordinary piece of paper: I see you have chosen death!
That one seemed to bust through that poor bird just fine tho.
@@nathanwindom3978 once you get past the feathers birds have soft skin. Plus I think that one was young.
@@nathanwindom3978 Read my mind… they’re harmless but it’s about to snack on that bird. Noooope
I fear friction more than fangs
Foreal...papercuts defeat our skin. 😂
"The biggest ones are only 6 - 8 inches" That's fucking huge though.
Yes, it is, for an arachnid.
Right? When I find a spider in my house I'm shrieking, "ERMAGERD it's HUUUUUGE!!!" and it's about the size of a quarter (or probably less...). I'd probably die of a damn heart attack if I ran across something like this!
I know, right!! Big as a large man's hand.
As an Aussie, I have to concede that 20cm is a decent size for a spider. The biggest Australian Huntsman I've ever seen was that big.
thats 5-7 inches bigger than any spider where i live
>pretty harmless
>eats bird alife
Staying alife
I think you meant *alfie coz the bird is called alfie, right? 🤪
Pelosi Is Drunk Haha, I know. I was being facetious. I see English isn’t your best friend either as I got your unedited reply in my notifications 😂
@@gregoryashton Don't be a smug prick, nobody appreciates that
Me: *It's kinda hard to believe that spiders and scorpions are related...*
Mother Nature: *Here's a tailless scorpion thing with spider legs and a giant spider head. Enjoy the nightmares!*
I love your name
@@RL-DarkSpark same, but I didn’t think my comment was cursed enough to summon Deleto Blue...
@@thefastestsluginthewest6505 In this case I'm Retweeto blue because you posted awesome content👍
It gets better, there is a creature looks like a scorpion with a stingerless tail and sprays a substance that smells like vinegar
@@REPVILE a Vinegaroon?
"The largest are only 6 to 8 inches."
I'm out.
So 6 inches in considered huge……… good to know
Yeah, still a lot of spider. One inch or less is tolerable to most.
Its as big as me
@@ALongAndLowTide Damn you are short as hell bro
My friend has a video from overseas that disproves the size claim. Dude had a size 14 boot, we found one under a truck that was bigger than his foot. Not a human killer but shit that was freaky to see scuttling around.
Yup, I’ve been be of those soldiers that has been chased. Wasn’t fun being chased, ran for about 50-60 meters before I found refuge on top of a humvee. The camel spider was then content with the shade of the humvee.
"Not harmful"
Australia: "We don't do that here"
“Not harmful.”
Australia: We do that here.
"Not harmful"
Australia: Wait, they don't even live here...
We only have two categories. Ones that can kill you and ones that can kill you but in a scarier way.
And that's why it is not in Australia
@@tintaire ones that kill you fast than ones that kill you slowly. Both extremely paintul
Both. Your. Outfits. Are. Perfect.
I like to look fashionable while someone tells me about traumatic insemination in invertebrates
It's Okay To Be Smart - especially given that snippet of vid of the camel spider eating that bird... (Which, by the way: holy hell...)
I didn't notice Dr. Cushing's shirt until four minutes in... where does one buy a camel spider-patterned shirt, anyway?
It's Okay To Be Smart Yes! I always love Emily's dresses they're so cool and that shirt is incredible
@nlabonte... on the web.
**Shows clip of camel spider eating bird**
wait a minute
Dr. Paula is wearing a shirt with a camel spider print
Emily is wearing a dress with small birds on it
Conclusion? Dr. Paula is gonna eat Emily.
_Run Emily, run!!!_
Haha. That's gold.
😂🤣🤣🤣🤣
How did I not notice that? (Probably mesmerized by the bird being eaten...)
Lol, too funny
Gigidy
It’s all fun and games to talk about how harmless they are. Everyone still screams when one runs after you
Saw some in Saudi and we used to “freeze” with can of air, which is pressurized and cold. Then we could move them out of our area and they just warm up and start moving again.
NO way! That’s wild!
Like a whole video game lol
I've seen these things make entire rooms full of soldiers scream like a bunch of little girls LOL
😅😅😅
Id shit bricks if i seen one.
We would catch them and make them battle scorpions and mice to the death/meal
@@richardpearce2186 Going to set up a dog fighting ring next?
@@ZeeNastee that's spoken like someone who never went on a deployment and was bored with nothing to do.
The look on Emily's face during the mating description was everything.
This was great. Thank you.
Then she says "sounds like a couple dates I've been on"
Yep. She's a freak. Lol
she's right. I've been racing against camel spiders for 9 years. Never lost.
ok one race but the spider started before the gun.
Alan Malcheski She doesn’t mention that they are filthy cheaters
iambiggus you are the cheater. You! So there.
Alan Malcheski lol
Alan Malcheski Shhh!!! You’re gonna blow up my spot!!
Try to race against camel toes. It's exhausting 😔
male camel spiders really take "eating a girl out" to a whole new level.
x'D Good one!
Hahahaha
"They bring that insect close to their jaws."
Cuts to a spider eating a bird.
😳
I don't know what she's smoking but as An afghan man I have been bitten once in Afghanistan by on those Camel spider they're so nasty trust me it's hurts so bad 🤢
"They're pretty harmless"
She said 😆
"that sounds like a couple dates I've been on"
that was gold right there
Yeah, it was funny, but also kinda just made me sad.
Sounds like a good time to me
Her picker is broken, bad.
I was thinking the same thing right when she said it. To funny.
she's cute and a freak...no normal people left im afraid
I thought these things were scary, but after hearing how they have sex *they are ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING*
“She could eat him”
“He could eat her”
Sounds like a normal and typical date for me and I can relate to this.
69 the best position for that.
@@junmatthewdelajoya9909 thought it was mantis style?
Anything is harmless after a few carefully placed burst shots.
Except an explosive barrel
Very cool video and I appreciate the people on camera didn't take themselves too seriously. Just down to earth and being cool
Bite doesnt break skin my ass bird probably thought the same thing 😂😂
I've been bit by the little bastards all the time, and they're bites don't even leave a mark. That bird is very small, and is easier for the arachnid to tear into.
You do understand that our skin is much thicker and stronger than a birds right?
It doesn’t leave a mark. Like being bit by a small lizard
Bird. I’m not scared of you. Your harmless.
Spider. Hold my beer.
@@TheRealAb216 I can explain to you I was just trolling for the kicks but hey
I've always thought arachnids were fascinating. About 20 years ago I lived in a flat in London and a beautiful large orb web spider made a web on our window. She lived there for a few months but one day she just disappeared. I presume she was eaten by a bird but I was genuinely sad.
The spot she had chosen was absolutely perfect for watching her and it was amazing to watch how she spun her webs and caught her prey. She provided hours of entertainment. I miss her.
I've never been sad for a spider before. Poor spider
Sweet baby
Its possible your spider wasn't catching much prey and chose to move to a new location, or her web simply got old and she needed to spin a new one. I don't think their webs stay sticky forever, it could also be that the web was too exposed to the elements and she just moved to somewhere more protected.
I had a black widow spider once that I kept in a jar and I fed her insects. I named her Hillary.
@@richardbidinger2577 orb weavers eat their webs in order to recycle the material.
if the web was still there it's not likely the spider was still alive.
Camel spider foreplay is hardcore.
On par with Klingon mating rituals...
@@mountainman5173 You know I have never been this curious about a piece of star trek lore and now I am suddenly super curious.
Look up the mating habits of Darwin's bark spiders ;)
Dx
@@awkwardDebs im too scared too knowing that its probably worse than the camel spider ;-;
"So they bring that insect close to their Chilicerae" WHILE THEY'RE SHOWING A BIRD! 😨
Yeah, I know. I think that freaked everyone's mind out.
Wow, what a lovely interview. Such sincere passion and joy over the unknown…..such a blessing thank you all. Dr was too cute and so compassionate. May God bless all the works of your hands.
finally something terrifying that doesnt live in australia
ectoplasmLunatic not yet anyway people try to bring all kinds of stuff with them when they travel.
Not venomous. Bite doesn't break the skin. They'd last two seconds here.
Some dumbass will import them as pets and then release them. Just wait. Australia will be the first one with a highly toxic 2 ft camel spider
@@G1Bryce Adapt to survive. It's not venomous now, but give it enough time in the hell of the Australian outback and it'll probably evolve to be.
That's probably the least terrifying thing in that part of the world.
Are we just going to ignore the fact that the spider is eating a BIRD and not an INSECT??
Yes, yes we are.
Yes, mhm. What? Oh. Yes.
cant penetrate skin? and than show eating bird? non venimous ? she forget to say when that thing bite you and start chewing on you you do not feel a thing . may be she should sleep a night next to them to see what happens. BTW that bird was still alive when that thing was chewing on it , just for your own info that insect can paralise so you actually do not feel a thing.
@@psyxxxo Our skin bub, not a birds skin. Our skin is one of the thickest in the animal kingdom and is quite literally designed to be our first and best line of defense. Comparing a bird the size of a baseball to a human is a bit comical.
@@croaton07I'm not that dumb. Many creatures have hides or skin tougher than humans.
Rhinos
Elephants
Hippopotamus
Cows
Bison
Moose
Beavers
Anteaters
Armadillos
Most apes and primates
I could sit here and type for a few days, but unlike some others, I have a life.
Read less
non venomous:
....
doesn't exist in Australia
Brian Luna seems about right.
Australia: so your pretty terrifying
Camel spider: aw thanks
Australia: in fact, we could use another giant venomous spider around here so-
Camel spider: oh, I’m not venomous.
Australia: oh... well sorry about that, but that is a necessity so yeah. Hope you have a good day
Elijah Cukryznski 👍👍👍👍😂😂😂
@@interstellaromelette9466 sounds about right
Better to die of poison than to be devoured alive.
And you don't need a strong poison to kill small animals.
I get the impression that "nature" is deliberately trying to be more violent than rational.
A great interview. The interviewer did not continually interupt as some do and the expert explained in understandable ways which some do not! Altogether and great way to start a Monday morning. Thank you.
Thank you youtube for showing me this. The camel spider is an interesting creature that I had no idea about until today. Also I love the energy they have talking about them. When you see someone truly passionate about what they do, it's amazing to witness.
I love, admire and respect scientists especially when they love what they do that most people wouldn't consider important!
I have some of these (not) little guys in my garden in West Texas. Gotta love them, I always put out halved coconut shells for them to crawl into. I felt bad everytime I watered my plants and they'd have to scurry away to avoid drowning. They're really pretty harmless and strangely curious.
@@kubel83, I compared them to termites.
Blaedus yeah I completely forgot about termites. Good call👍
Uh these guys only exist in arabia and africa....
@@Zeitgeist2000 no they do live in USA too. I used to see a couple every night when I lived Las Vegas, NV and fueled heavy equipment they are fast and love to run non stop hated those things
@@SNVRC had one crawl into my house in California as well
I seen them when I was over in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait when I was in the military. Definitely something that looks scarier than what it is.
Working in saudi, i used to chase them into the sun to hear them scream. Quite vocal these ugly little bastards
I bet she's glad she wore her best camel spider shirt that day!
I remember these creatures when I was stationed in Barstow, CA. They were very aggressive but I never heard of them harming anyone.
Ayo bro I'm in Victorville, u telling me these little shits are in my area?!?!?!?!
Favorite quote from this video: deserts are at risk from irrigation.
Sahara swings from tropical oasis to desert around every 20,000 years. Media should enjoy that long run of climate change programming. I’ll be dead and won’t care though.
Death Valley: Come at me, bro
@@johnboylong40
The Sahara used to be lush forest and grassland but was over farmed and too much cattle... I know CO2 from humans absolutely does not contribute to climate warming change but as far as geological studies show that one was evidently due to humans. Last I checked, anyway.
Also, while it's cyclically been dry before, there's no evidence it was that huge, a literal ocean of sand... it's not really foreseeable that it will naturally be fertile again; it's frikkin sand.
Just a FYI, have a good one.
Liberals will always claim any change is a problem, unless it’s the collapse of western civ, then it’s a good change.
"Sounds like a couple of dates I've been on"
Girl.
😂 I was like, some dude chewed your insides and came all up in it and pushed it in with his jaw then booked it??
I know!
I mean, maybe it just meant some playful neck-biting followed by some head from him, then he took off before she could ask him for a second date?
@@jaschabull2365 😂 Ik its just funny after the horrific details of their mating.
Romance.
So the males do a little foreplay before actually getting to it. Well that's what I understood
I remember when I was stationed in the desert, one of many times, people would be running at night around the track with her little flashlights. And camel spiders would chase them. All the stuff we like to say about them in the desert, we know is not true. But somewhere deep inside I think many people are afraid that maybe it just are.
that last sentence needs to be on a t-shirt or bumper sticker or something
Good call. I have heard a bunch of crap from service members, but the ones I trust never seem to have those experiences.
"our skin is harder than you think"
Paper: you're not that guy, trust me you're not that guy..
😆
"Harmless"
*Catches and eats a live bird*
Camel spider: "fookin wha you say about harmless mate?"
My husband once found one of these guys outside at his workplace. He thought it was a great find so he chased it around with a cup until he caught it then brought it home and gave it to me as a belated birthday present. One of the most interesting gifts I've gotten.
babe look what i got at work!
*angry arachnid in a cup*
Me: very arachnophobic
Me: oh hey this would be fun to watch
@bryan diaz varela why do we torture ourselves this way
@@superlamenick172 I mean, it's technically not a spider
Masochists we are.
@@BlueRGuy Arthropodophobe, then
Same 😂
I really enjoyed this episode! I've always heard horror stories of camel spiders but I never knew that they were not venomous.
“Sounds kind of like a few dates I’ve had”
😂😂😂
Did that spider eat a live bird 0.0
Yup.
🔥🔥🔥
I wasn't ready for that o.0
Really impressive critters tho
No, the bird was not eaten alive by a spider.
David S. Yes it was? It was flapping it's wings while the camel spider was giving it a dose of predigestive enzyme.
I was so busy coveting Dr. Cushing's shirt that I could hardly pay attention!
No, but seriously, this was a very good video and it cleared up so many misconceptions that I had. Thank you for posting this!
LOL, Me too! I want shiirrrt!
Wow, I didn't notice the print at all until this comment
So your gunna sit there and tell me Camel spiders invented the ole Smash and Dash....... well ill be damned
when your mate has a propensity to literally eat you afterwards...
I was more afraid of the camel spiders in Afghanistan than I was of being shot or blown up.
Right.
We were told they have an anesthetic, so you couldn't feel them eating your face (or the camel couldn't feel them eating their way inside).
We were told this by Medical Doctors for the US ARMY.
So it's pretty surprising to hear these things don't attack or anything. I mean, we were shown pictures of Soldiers with parts of their faces gone in our Briefings. Feels weird they'd just make that up and make it a CLASS when in-boarding into Iraq.
@@theclimbto1 When was this? If it was back in Desert Storm or even Iraq in the early 2000's our knowledge about these buggers was literally none because the only place they live in the US is the Sierra desert so not many people had ever even seen one, much less let it bite them. Not to mention that out of proportion picture that did the rounds for a few years. They may have decided in light of little knowledge it was best to just tell servicemen to stay away and made some shit up to insure they would.
@@Goldenkitten1 Back in 08.
@@theclimbto1 Man they done y'all dirty oh my, that's taking a practical joke too far hahaha.
The lady "expert" is correct, in my many encouters with Camel Spiders in both the Sahara and the Rub al Khali I hve obsedved that they try to use your shadow as a sunshade.
I was eating a burrito while watching this... I lost my appetite real fast.
Other fun common names include:
wind scorpion and sun scorpion, although they are not scorpions, wind, nor sun
In some places,, haarskeerders and baardskeerders -- haircutters and beardcutters?
and lastly: jerrymunglum. I have no explanation.
jerrymunglum omg i'm dying
İn turkish we call them as "sarıkız" which means "blonde girl"
"Neither camels, nor spiders! So... what are they?"
Nightmares incarnate that's what they are
Dr Cushing's research needs more funding, she's still using Windows 7
I agree about the funding part, but i think most scientists still use win7
"sounds like a couple dates I've been on" oh, okay lmao
girl I was like are u okay
😂
"the biggest ones are only six to eight inches"
"sixty-eight inches???"
Hah, hah hah, comedy
Madagascar 2 reference
No! Six TO eight months
Actual quote is 6 to 9 tho obviously
Most women would be happy with 'only' 8 inches.
Just not when it comes to nightmare spid-pions.
Yeah, so ‘average’. 🤣
TH-cam are you okay? this was on my home page under the topic "NBA"... yeah the basketball one. lol
Forreals i wamted to wake up amd eatch paul George&kawhi news and I fucking hate spiders and youtube recommends it? Fuk out of here haha
National BUG association
Harmless!? Did I just see one of those things EATING A BIRD ALIVE at 3:10
richard lacey yep. It basically stabbed its jaws into the bird, half melted part of the bird with its vomit, and then drank the half melted bird
Youre not a bird
I caught quite a few of them growing up in South Africa. We use to call them the Red Romans, they're very fast.
It's really nice listening to Dr. Paula, she's so dedicated and seems really fond of her study~ awesome~
I love how excited she is about camel spiders. Inspirational.
someone's doing their best camel spider impression at 0:58
Baaah! I didn't 'even see that! that girl rules
The girl is even better at it than the dino
Do we know why the male chews on the female's genitals, or is that one of the mysteries?
Oh, and bonus points to Dr. Cushing for her shirt!
MicroBlogganism i wonder if its to make a larger opening
Yeah, Paula took that video of them mating and it might be the only one like it in the world. Just think, you could go to school to study such a ~*beautiful*~ mystery of nature
thebrainscoop "so, what are you studying these days?" "WHY MALE CAMEL SPIDERS CHEW ON THE FEMALE'S GENITAL OPENING DURING MATING" "... that child ain't right"
Arthropod sex is weird. I've heard of some species of insects that literally impale their mates with sperm packets because whatever genital opening - if any - doesn't really accommodate what we would consider "normal sex". I'm sure the camel spider's cunnilingus skills serve a similar purpose.
Side note: "I'm gonna go down on you like a camel spider," is not a good pickup line.
This world is incredible there is so much wonder and beauty in it.
5 seconds in and I knew Dr Cushing was going to make this awkward....and she didnt disappoint....the poor interviewer sat there awkwardly as she went into every detail of the mating ritual, sparing no detail. this became an R rated video at that point.
I've seen grown men screaming like children while running from these.
I'd run, they're scary looking🤣
in afghan?
@@patrickd7890 Iraq
I see three quarter inch ones in my room sometimes and I scream at each one
HOOOAH! I'd run too, and rightfully so.
"6-8 inches" How tiny...
Jack Daniel yeah, the thing is similar in size to a chihuahua
Most of them are way smaller than that.
Now to wallow in self depression...
"They're not venomous and completely harmless"
**only place its not located in aside from the Antarctic is Australia**
Of course its not dangerous enough to be in the AU
A friend of ours in OZ was driving on a desert road when a bloody great spider dropped out from underneath her cars dash .She went off the road in a panic and legged it outta the car in blind panic
When she called auto rescue the guy was not too keen on locating it inside the car .lol🤗
@@John-ob7dh I'm guessing it was a Huntsman Spider?
halfway through the vid and I just noticed Dr.Cushing is wearing THE COOLEST SHIRT I'VE EVER SEEN HOLY MOLY
Her camel spider shirt is FIRE! These girls are on my team now so look out XP
While I do appreciate Dr Paula's effort, no amount of science will make anyone keep his cool when an 8 inch thing that looks like a mad spider-scorpion and runs like the wind is coming at you... xD
cheers!
Once when I was on gate guard in Kuwait a Camel Spider approached me at night. It came towards then away. I knew it would come right back so I made a V with my booted feet and it ran straight into the V for shelter. And then I calmly stepped on it.
LikeToWatch77 I love stories with happy endings
The fact I just learned camel spiders eat box just made this whole video worth watching
Bryan Bumm players
One part of my brain: Oh, that's actually really interesting to learn about them and how little they've been studied!
The other part of my brain: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOPE NOPENOPE NOPE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE *pterodactyl screaming*
I worked all over the Middle East and East Africa, where camel spiders are common. They would often get into Accommodation huts and climb into boots to hide. In Sudan, we had several cases of workers waking up with rather large wounds and areas of necrotized flesh on their legs or arms that were attributed by the camp doctor to the nocturnal feeding habits of camel spiders. I always steered clear of them.
LOVED discovering this video and the interview. As a guy in his 50's that was somewhat discouraged from studying animals like "Camel spiders" and any critter remotely like them when I was a kid, it's great to see some focus and fame on them.
Back in the 70's when I could not resist watching spiders, insects, birds, organisms in the rivers nearby (upstate N.Y.)... I had read about these camel spiders and always wanted to see one. Back then, the books I had only called them "Wind Scorpions" and so I still call them that; I tend to try and respect the easiest form of things if it fits well, because changes often don't help high numbers of people understand each other if it's jus common names. I understand when the researchers and those contributing to the science of them have to change the scientific name. That usually makes sense.
In my childhood days, they were called "wind scorpions" because they "ran like the wind". I prefer that over some name a bunch of my fellow military ruffians called them.
That's right- I got a chance to see the huge "Wind scorpions" when I was in Saudi Arabia for operation Southern watch, which was the tense after party of the first Gulf war trying to keep an eye on Saddam Hussein while his boys kept launching scud missiles even after we took over the middle of the country.
I tried to tell the guys those "camel spiders" were actually from a family called solifugids and the common name was "Wind Scorpion", but they (as rednecks like my beginnings and many G.I.'s would have it) kept on insisting they attacked camels, just from their appearance and listening to equally clueless troops over my nerdy tendencies.
Which reminds me... even Dr. Cushing calls them "Solfugids", and from the book I had as a kid in the 70's, to several other sources... I always read "Solifugids". I've been corrected by others saying it's "Solfugids", but I think they may be mistaken. I wonder, is it a habit developed out of unintentional laziness because when glanced at quickly, the word can appear to not have that "i"? Not that it matters that much, but as long as we're talking to the experts.
Having said all that, Dr. Cushing seems like the ultimate scientist to work for. I wish I was younger and had the energy to start school again. I'd work towards that field for sure, and hopefully end up at the Denver museum.... but I also would love to work at the field museum!! I hear they haver the man eaters of Tsavo there! Also... I sadly missed the Columbia exposition featured there a few years back or so. I hope they do it again.
Great
I just watched this whole video before realizing at the very end that the scientist lady has camel spiders on her shirt! How cute!
I was one of those naïve people who fell for the myths about the size of Camel spiders except I heard that they were not only massive but had a corrosive bite too that ate your flesh away! It seems totally ridiculous to me now after watching this and I'm so glad the Brain Scoop is here to keep informing us about this kind of thing. It was funny to hear about them chasing the shadows of people and not actually running after them! I also really want Dr. Cushings' shirt!
I recall seeing pictures of them about when Emily did (2004-ish), but the accompanying info said they were harmless. I guess my dubious internet sources were more reliable than yours.
It would appear so! :)
Deserts are at risk from agricultural and irrigation? Did I hear that right?
They are super easy to catch in Fort Stockton Texas. They are everywhere there lol
That's the exact same way ticks mate, saw it in a zefrank vid. Also her shirt is amazing
"They are completely harmless"
date rapes a mate, and if that wasn't bad enough he knocked her up
Are we going to ignore the fact that it devoured a live bird..
Turkish Prostitute by melting it alive with its vomit and then drinking the half melted alive bird
Completely harmless to humans, not each other.
I love learning about arachnids - as long theres some sort of barrier between me and them. They are just too fast and have way too many legs.
And can we appreciate the shirt Dr. Cushing is wearing? Where do you even find a shirt with camel spiders on it!
She said a friend who is also an arachnologist custom made it for her! But f'real if like the Gap wants to put out a new line .... just sayin' I think they'd fly off the shelves
haha that's too awesome! And I'd totally wear it (even if it's just to freak out my rommates)
1: *describes horrific mating ritual of camel spiders*
2: "Wow... I mean that sounds like a couple of dates I've been on."
Psh. Biologists and their sense of humor... 😂😍
I swear videos like these always make me feel twitchy and always makes me check my surroundings every now and then
I am amazed that the biologist could find such a cool shirt!! Also, the interviewer has the sweetest freckle on her left arm! I love it!
05:12 "...they don't like the sun.."
But they are also called Sun spiders.
They weren't consulted before they were named.
Jack Kraken - Maybe it's like when a really big guy is called "Tiny"...
...and windscorpions because of their speed...
@@gildedvulture7965 ...and vinegaroons because of their lovely aroma...
@@williamparrish5002 Vinegaroons are whipscorpions, a bit different than Solifugids. Whipscorpions are cool too though
Having actually seen several of them during my time in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, I can tell you that there ARE big ones and that they CAN jump to about chest level. They can also run really really fast.
Somebody needs to let this doctor know that camel spiders do not just live in desert areas. I live in Northern CA where the climate can be described as somewhere between Mediterranean and temperate and I see these guys several times a year. I have been sitting watching TV and had one walk across the living room floor like it owned the place. I have tried to keep them but even if you give your best attempt at replicating their environment they seem to go into some sort of 'captivity depression' and stop eating after awhile, so I let them go.
That was one heck of a mating ritual. But in all seriousness, I'm thankful for the video explaining this animal. I've seen the pictures and listen to the stories from veterans friends of mine and it was good to hear the real info. Thanks for the good work.
so much nostalgia, I used to live near Denver and loved going there with my parents.