A close-up video of a camel spider "screaming" while being handled is giving the internet a rare reason to feel bad for one of the Southwest's most misunderstood critters.
The clip has racked up tens of thousands of upvotes as viewers realize the tiny hiss sounds less like something from a horror movie than like a panicked squeaky toy.
A popular Reddit post featuring close-up footage of a solifuge — often called a camel spider, though it is not a true spider — shows the arachnid relative making a defensive noise as it is handled.
(Click here if the embedded video does not appear.)
What viewers hear is stridulation, not a true scream.
As one commenter explained, the animal is likely rubbing body parts together, including its mouthparts, to make the squeaking, hissing noise.
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Another user summed it up as sounding like "the midpoint between an irritated kitten and a dog's chew toy."
The thread also resurfaced plenty of myths and facts about camel spiders, including stories from U.S. troops who encountered them in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While they have a fearsome look and can move quickly, commenters noted that they are nonvenomous and more likely to be trying to escape the heat or find shade than to "chase" people.
In this case, the "scream" appears to be a defensive response triggered by human handling.
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Camel spiders already live in arid parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and warmer conditions can help shift where desert species appear. Human development is also pushing farther into wild habitat, increasing the odds of close encounters.
Rising global temperatures and habitat disruption are changing how often people and wildlife cross paths.
The comments reflected that split.
"That's not a scream that's a squeak," one viewer wrote. "I was not prepared for that, finding a spider cute was not on today's bingo card."
Others were sympathetic.
"Well now I honestly feel bad that thing seems scared," one commenter said, while another defended the animal's reputation: "They also don't chase people to menace them — they just want the shade we provide."
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