Military personnel in Iraq encounter a pair of camel spiders. Also known as windscorpions, sunscorpions, sunspiders, romans and beardcutters, these arachnids belong to the Order Solifugae and are not actually spiders. A prominent feature are their large chelicerae, which they use to rip apart prey. They may accidentally bite humans, but have no venom glands. The racket organs, which have an unknown function, are clearly visible on the last pair of legs of the bottom specimen. Camelspiders may reach up to 7 cm in length, although the perspective of this photo makes them appear even larger. Photographer - Unknown
