''Galeodes arabs'', common name Egyptian giant solpugid or camel spider, is a species of

solifuge Solifugae is an Order (biology), order of animals in the Class (biology), class Arachnida known variously as camel spiders, wind scorpions, sun spiders, or solifuges. The order includes more than 1,000 described species in about 147 genus, gener ...

s (or sun spiders) native to

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

Subspecies

* ''Galeodes arabs arabs'' —

Carl Ludwig Koch Carl Ludwig Koch (21 September 1778 – 23 August 1857) was a German entomologist and arachnologist. He was responsible for classifying a great number of spiders, including the Brazilian whiteknee tarantula and common house spider. He was bo ...

, 1842 * ''Galeodes arabs syriacus'' —

Karl Kraepelin Karl Matthias Friedrich Magnus Kraepelin (; ; 14 December 1848 – 28 June 1915) was a German naturalist who specialised in the study of scorpions, centipedes, spiders and solfugids, and was noted for his monograph ''Scorpiones und Pedipalpi'' (Be ...

, 1899

Description

''Galeodes arabs'' is one of the larger species of camel spider and can reach a length of about . They have large, powerful jaws, reaching one-third of their body length. They are

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

. They can reach a speed of 10 miles per hour (16 km/h). They are not venomous, but their bite is painful.

Diet

They eat insects, small rodents and lizards. Using their chelicerae, they can chop and saw their victim’s flesh. Their jaws are equipped to shear hair and quills from their prey as well as cut through skin and the thin bones of small birds. They then utilise digestive juices to liquefy the flesh of their prey so they can suck it into their bodies.

Predators

Some of their predators are large slit-faced bats, scorpions, toads and other insectivores or camel spiders. They are heliophobic and nocturnal in order to avoid predators, have better hunting and stay out of the hot sun. J. L. Cloudsley-Thompso
SOME ASPECTS OF THE PHYSIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR OF GALEODES ARABS
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References

Solifugae Arthropods of North Africa Arthropods of Egypt Arthropods of Israel Arthropods of Syria Animals described in 1842 Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Koch {{arachnid-stub