The Answer to the Quiz!

Published: Tue, 03/05/24

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth!

Hi ,

The question last week was, "What kind of web does this hideous creature spin?"

The answer below...

This creature does not make a web, It cannot spin silk. If this was a spider, it could. But, it's not a spider at all. It's a solifuge. A WHAT? Yes, otherwise known as a solfugid. The name means "it runs from the sun". This is the famous, but incorrectly named, "camel spider".

Spiders all have 4 things in common:

1. They are arachnids (so is this).

2. They have two body parts, a cephalothorax and an abdomen (so does this).

3. They all produce venom (this cannot).

4. They all spin silk (this cannot).

Therefore, this is not a spider - though you'd never guess that by looking at it! Most spiders have 8 eyes, while some (like the brown recluse) have only 6. Solifugae mostly have 2 eyes, but some species have more. Also, a solifuge has a segmented abdomen, while spiders don't.

BUT, check out those horrible "fangs"! Aren't they venomous? No, these creatures only bite. They cannot sting or inject anything. They're therefore not dangerous to people, but they can shred your finger if they get hold of it! We used to put these creatures in a big bottle, then drop a large grasshopper in (the kind that was ruining our garden!), and these guys would grab it and shred it! They would even do that to sticks we'd drop in!

They are hunters, and rely on speed and strength to catch prey. They have a similar digestive system to a spider in that they "vomit" digestive juices onto their prey to liquify it so they can suck it all up! GROSS!!!

OK, that's enough about them, at least for now. The created world is utterly fascinating, but terribly weird at times....

In Christ,

For Christ's glory,
Mike Snavely

PO Box 264
Cornwall PA 17016
USA

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