Camel spiders have built quite a reputation — terrifying legends, dramatic photos, and endless myths. Yet behind the exaggeration lies one of nature’s most fascinating desert hunters. Despite their fearsome appearance, these creatures play an essential role in desert ecosystems. One question that often comes up is: what do camel spiders actually eat?
The answer might surprise you. They’re not bloodsucking monsters or camel predators — they’re highly efficient, fast, and strategic carnivores with an appetite perfectly suited to desert life. Let’s explore exactly what camel spiders eat, how they hunt, and why their diet matters more than most people realise.
What Exactly Is a Camel Spider?
Before diving into their diet, it helps to understand what these creatures are. Camel spiders belong to the order Solifugae, part of the arachnid class — which also includes spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks. However, they’re not true spiders. They don’t have venom glands, silk-producing organs, or fangs. Instead, they rely on powerful jaws (chelicerae) to crush and tear their prey apart.
They live in hot, arid environments such as deserts in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. Their bodies are built for survival in extreme heat — fast, flexible, and designed to catch prey before it can escape across shifting sands.
So, What Do Camel Spiders Eat?
Camel spiders are carnivorous hunters that feed primarily on small animals. Their diet varies depending on what’s available in their desert habitat, but it generally includes:
- Insects – crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, and termites are among their favourites.
- Other arachnids – they’ll hunt spiders, scorpions, and even smaller camel spiders.
- Small lizards – especially those they can overpower quickly.
- Rodents and small birds – on rare occasions, they can kill and consume small vertebrates.
- Worms and larvae – when larger prey is scarce, they’ll feed on whatever protein source they can find.
Camel spiders aren’t picky — they’ll eat almost anything smaller or weaker than themselves. In captivity, they’ve been known to accept mealworms and crickets readily.
How Do Camel Spiders Hunt?
Unlike spiders, camel spiders don’t spin webs or wait for prey to wander into traps. They’re active, fast-moving hunters that rely on speed, precision, and brute strength. Their hunting method combines stealth and sudden bursts of speed.
Here’s how their hunt usually unfolds:
- Detection – Camel spiders have sensory organs on their front leg-like pedipalps, which detect vibrations and chemical cues from prey nearby.
- Pursuit – Once they sense movement, they sprint toward the target at astonishing speed (up to 10 miles per hour).
- Capture – They seize the prey with their jaws, pinning it against the ground.
- Crushing and dismembering – Their powerful chelicerae slice and crush their meal into manageable pieces.
- Digestion – They secrete digestive fluids onto their prey, turning the tissue into a liquified meal that they can slurp up.
This combination of physical power and hunting instinct makes them one of the most efficient desert predators in their size range.
Why Camel Spiders Don’t Need Venom
Most people assume that creatures with such terrifying jaws must have venom. But camel spiders don’t — and they don’t need it.
Their chelicerae (jaw structures) are so strong they can cut through flesh and exoskeletons with ease. Instead of immobilising prey with venom, they rely on pure mechanical force. Once they’ve subdued their prey, their digestive enzymes do the rest, breaking down soft tissues for easy consumption.
This means that camel spiders don’t inject poison, don’t paralyse prey, and don’t pose venom-related danger to humans — despite persistent myths suggesting otherwise.
Do Camel Spiders Eat Camels or People?
This is one of the biggest myths about camel spiders — and it’s completely false. They do not eat camels or attack humans. The confusion likely arose from:
- Desert folklore describing them “feeding on camel flesh” while camels slept.
- Exaggerated soldier stories from desert regions, especially during the Gulf War.
- Forced perspective photos making camel spiders appear gigantic.
In reality, camel spiders rarely exceed 6 inches (including legs), and they prefer to avoid humans entirely. When they appear to “chase” someone, they’re usually just running into your shadow for shade — not launching an attack.
When and How Often Do Camel Spiders Eat?
Camel spiders are nocturnal or crepuscular hunters — they hunt during the night or in cooler twilight hours to avoid the desert’s scorching daytime heat. Their eating habits depend heavily on climate, prey availability, and energy use.
Because they expend so much energy sprinting after prey, they must eat regularly when food is available. However, like many desert species, they can go long periods without eating, conserving energy during dry spells or cooler months.
After a large meal, they often retreat to a burrow to rest and digest, emerging again when hunger strikes.
What Happens When Food Is Scarce?
Desert life is unpredictable, so camel spiders have evolved to cope with scarcity. During droughts or heat waves, prey numbers drop, and camel spiders adapt by:
- Reducing activity during the hottest times of day.
- Slowing metabolism to conserve energy.
- Feeding opportunistically on dead or injured creatures (though they prefer live prey).
They are survivors through and through — capable of adjusting their hunting behaviour to match harsh environmental conditions.
How Camel Spiders Help Balance the Ecosystem
Despite their scary appearance, camel spiders play a crucial ecological role. Their appetite keeps other insect and arachnid populations under control, which helps balance fragile desert ecosystems.
Here’s why they’re so important:
- They control pest populations, particularly crop-damaging insects.
- They reduce competition among smaller predators by preying on them selectively.
- They act as food for birds, reptiles, and mammals that thrive in desert regions.
Essentially, they’re part of the natural pest-control network — a vital link in the food web that helps maintain ecological stability.
What About Feeding Camel Spiders in Captivity?
Camel spiders are occasionally kept as exotic pets by experienced arachnid enthusiasts. Their diet in captivity mirrors their wild one, consisting mainly of:
- Live crickets
- Mealworms or superworms
- Small roaches
- Occasional pinky mice (for larger individuals)
Because they’re solitary and highly territorial, they should never be kept together — camel spiders will attack and eat one another if confined in the same enclosure.
Feeding them in captivity provides a fascinating insight into their behaviour: they stalk, strike, and devour prey with the same speed and efficiency they display in the wild.
Common Misconceptions About Their Diet
Let’s debunk a few myths that often circulate about camel spiders and what they eat:
- They suck blood – False. They liquefy soft tissue but don’t feed on blood.
- They eat human flesh – False. They’re not aggressive toward people.
- They eat camels – False. There’s no evidence or recorded incident of this.
- They’re scavengers only – False. They’re active hunters but will scavenge if needed.
Their diet is varied but always rooted in small, manageable prey they can overpower and digest efficiently.
Our Final Say
Camel spiders are formidable, fast, and fascinating desert predators with a diet that reflects their resilience and adaptability. Far from the monstrous myths, they’re simply nature’s pest controllers — skilled hunters that help keep the balance in some of Earth’s harshest habitats.
They feed on whatever the desert provides: insects, small animals, and other arachnids. Their incredible jaws, hunting strategy, and efficiency make them one of the most successful — yet misunderstood — carnivores of the desert world.
So next time you hear someone mention camel spiders devouring camels or chasing soldiers, you’ll know the truth: these misunderstood creatures just want a good meal — and it’s usually a cricket, not a camel.
Pest Control Dunstable – Pest Control Lower Sundon – Pest Control Kendal
