A-Z Archive: U
I immediately knew what my entry would be:
the UGLY!
We have lots of those around the farm
But I don’t mean that in a horrid way
just that sometime even their mothers struggle!
Oh my goodness
I struggled to choose 1!
But Solli wins
10 appendages down!
This is a Solifugid
These live in our TV Room. One minute we’re absorbed in a program, the next all hell breaks loose. Solli has just zoomed over a foot. Not to be out-done, I shriek hysterically. No not in welcome but pure, unadulterated terror!
Solli is a freak of nature! He comes out only at night, races around the room like the totally insane/possessed VW Beetle of movie-fame, scurrying over feet and any other object on the floor, and disappears just as fast! My poor heart!
Solifugids are curious little creatures which belong to the class Arachnida, which has various common names most of which suggest that they are spiders, which they are not. They have been referred to as red romans, sunspiders and beard cutters. The only similarity they share with spiders is the fact that they have eight legs, although with their two “feelers” it looks as though they have 10 legs. Solifugids have no venom glands and are not a threat to people although they are very aggressive and fast moving and can inflict a painful bite.
There 900 known species of solifugids world-wide, of which Southern Africa is richly endowed with 6 families and a total of 240 species. They are more abundant in drier regions and range in size from 25mm to 75mm in length.
Although they may look similar to a large spider, they are different in many respects. Solifugids do not have venom or silk glands. They appear to have ten legs, but upon closer inspection the first pair of legs are not legs at all but pedipalps. The pedipalps have a sensory function, aid in feeding and have suckers at their tips to enable them to climb smooth surfaces such as glass. Their head has a very characteristic shape with powerful jaws or chelicerae with which they seize and chew their prey. The feet are characterized by stiff hairs or spines which help them run rapidly over soft sand. The whole animal is covered by long sensory hairs or setae which glisten in the sun.
According to Cloudesley-Thompson these animals are voracious, and they eat mice, lizards, scorpions – in fact anything, even small birds! The prey is located by vibration on the tactile organs and captured by ambush or stalking. They are NOT venomous. After subduing a prey item, some solifugids bite off the prey’s legs, then proceed to eat it head first. They have an incredibly high metabolism and never seem to stand still for a moment.
Solifugids exhibit interesting behaviour patterns. They are called hair cutters because it is said that if a solifugid gets tangled in hair it will cut it’s way free. Although this has never been substantiated, they do make nests out of animal hair and there have been reports of people and pets loosing small patches of hair due to these animals.
When active during the day they avoid the hot patches of ground and run from shadow to shadow even if the shadow is made by a human. When the human moves, the solifugid moves into the shadow. This gives the impression that the animal is chasing the human; thus solifugids are commonly called hunting spiders.
Although these harmless creatures may seem fierce and intimidating they perform some good to mankind by keeping scorpion, spider and insect populations in check.
Ha! Harmless my foot - ooops! X@
Related articles
http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/photo-journal-photo-challenge-u/
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http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/photo-journal-photo-challenge-u/
http://abcnellibell49.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/uu-is-for-under/
http://catbirdphotography.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/a-z-archive-u-challenge-udaipur/
http://wp.me/p296YA-8N
http://albadrln.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/a-z-archive-u-challenge-umbrella/
http://scrapydo.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/a-z-archive-u-tuesday-photo-challenge/
http://terri0729.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/a-z-archive-u-challenge-unicorn/
http://imagesoftheheart.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/a-z-archive-u-is-for-umbrella-upside-down-and-unclothed/
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Ewwww…ugly and scary looking. Good that they are harmless. Thanks for the education on this creature…and great post for the challenge!
June 1, 2012 at 2:17 am
Aren’t they just! We have all sorts of eewwww things! More for my book
June 2, 2012 at 7:37 am
Dear George, poor mice indeed!s
Solli is voracious and vicious! We get all kinds of funny, weird, scarey creatures here!
May 31, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Poor little mice! I don’t really mind mice if they stay out of the walls. Hee Hee
Thanks for telling us something we didn’t know.
This Sollie character would just have to go! No way I could live with the mere thought of that creature appearing out of nowhere. Now, Bush Babies, I could love them. Great post and great choice for “U”.
May 30, 2012 at 9:23 pm
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It is creepy looking. I would be afraid to go to sleep too worried about losing my hair. LOL!
Your Solli is an interesting critter, thanks for sharing. It is a newbie for me.
May 24, 2012 at 1:01 am
Solli is a Master of Creep! With the weird things we get here, I’d never sleep if I dwelt on them. It’s nightmare stuff lol
May 24, 2012 at 7:39 am
I cannot imagine sitting in the living room minding my own business and having THAT appear and run around!! My whole family would DIE on the spot – LOL! Actually, now that I am thinking about it, it would be sort of funny…
May 23, 2012 at 5:04 pm
Dear Libby, sitting engrossed in what’s on the screen or the conversation around about, Solli suddenly comes scurrying along “brrrRRRRRrrrr”! No detour, no hesitation. Just UP and over and on his way! You should hear the pandemonium! As for the acrobatics! Legs, feet, hands all lifting, grabbing, kicking, scrabbling. Then they look at one another and laugh. And snort and guffaw and they drag me from the top of the couch backrest and shush my shrieks.
Then I refuse to. Sit with my feet on the floor. Till next time!
May 23, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Fascinating post – Yes, Ugly is a good description
May 23, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Oh dear, ugly is a lie! It is sooo much more than ugly!
May 23, 2012 at 10:12 pm
I’m glad we don’t have those here. That thing is enormous!
May 23, 2012 at 4:30 am
Hi Jenn, they can be very big. And hairy!
May 23, 2012 at 8:12 am
Jenn, perhaps you should check to make sure?They’re sneaky little beggars!
May 29, 2012 at 4:59 pm
Charlene..This is interesting..I am getting over my fear of anything spiderish..but this may set me back…but ti does eat some other things that may be more of a problem..I have added both of your posts to this week’s Nature Notes….Michelle
May 23, 2012 at 2:18 am
Hi Michelle, scary little beastie! Thanks dearest, I hope it is enjoyed
May 23, 2012 at 8:10 am
I would not like to have him scamper across my living room floor either! But I would not harm him – as he is preferable to the scorpions, etc that he feeds on.
May 22, 2012 at 1:46 pm
Totally agree, despite being scared of them! But we let all manner of beasties live and let live here. Only mosquitoes and flies have NO MERCY!
May 22, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Oh my Goodness. My granddaughters would flee in terror also. Ugly is a good word and good choice for challenge. I have been trying to decide a choice for challenge and now you have me looking in a new direction.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
May 22, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Lol Francine, I’m kinda getting blase about them now. I had one chasing a cricket round and round my bedside table. I chucked the cricket out of the window so I could get some sleep. I’m not quite up to picking Solli up yet!
Glad I sent you in a new direction!
May 22, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Solli eats mice…. Oh dear Charlene, you did a nice shot and wonderful writing about them. But they make me afraid, so much… Thank you dear, love, nia
May 22, 2012 at 1:16 pm
Me too Nia!
May 22, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I need one of these in my flat in Oman since one of my neighbors in my building just found a scorpion running about!! I’ve never heard of this critter before. Thanks for sharing!!
May 22, 2012 at 12:15 pm
They are amazing! We watched one finishing off a meal (i wont say what it was eating) It was vicious! EEEEUUUUWWW!
May 22, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Growing up in West Nicholson, these where a pest in the house, waking at night with these running across you was worse than having nightmares. My Dad found a good solution and raised more than a hand full of “Nagapies” (bush babies) these loved the hunting spiders, or as we knew them rain spiders, it was their favorite food, and as they were both active at night, a wonderful method of controlling the populations.
May 22, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Oooh, I adore Nagapies! They are the sweetest little things! I may have to investigate that as a solution!!!!
May 22, 2012 at 1:36 pm
what a fascinating post, so glad you found my blog so that i can find yours … i have never heard of solifugae before!
May 22, 2012 at 11:53 am
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thank you for this great story! “I shriek hysterically. No not in welcome but pure, unadulterated terror! Solli is a freak of nature! He comes out only at night, races around the room like the totally insane/possessed VW Beetle…” I’m glad that we only have some mice – brought into the house by our cat as a gift for us…
May 22, 2012 at 11:44 am
Thanks Frizz, eeerrrr, Solli EATS mice!!! EEEUUWWW
May 22, 2012 at 12:00 pm