the bug sent to me from New Mexico is actually an arachnid from the family Solifugae. they can bite humans, but aren't venomous. and apparently they're really fast. they are known as sun spiders, wind scorpions, and camel spiders. these guys are found all over the world in hot, arid areas, hence a New Mexican high desert origin for our visitor.
I wrote to my mom to see if she knew what it was and it was identified as a "child of the earth". this name applies to the creature above, and this scary looking thing, known as a Jerusalem cricket:
I'm not sure which I'd rather have arrive in the mail. but I'm sure the cricket would have met the same fate as the sun spider did.
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I have a horrible fear of anything with more than 4 legs. If those things were in a package and I opened it, I would have a heart attack!
ReplyDeleteI was unpacking my daughter's bag from an over the weekend visit from the desert and behold one of those came out of her laundry...scared the crap out of both of us...THEY ARE FAST!
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