Fastest arachnid

With a burst sprint capability estimated at 16 km/h (10 mph), which is roughly half that of the fastest human sprinters, solifugids of the genus Solpuga inhabiting the arid areas of North Africa and the Middle East are the world's fastest arachnids. Despite their alternative names of camel spider and sun spider, solifugids are not true spiders (although they are arachnids), because their bodies are divided into separate head, thorax and abdomen sections, whereas in spiders the head and thorax constitute a single fused section, known variously as the prosoma or cephalothorax.

Despite being superficially reminiscent of spiders, solifugids are actually more closely related to scorpions, taxonomically speaking, although they lack the characteristic tail of scorpions that bears a sting at its tip.

Their aggression is famous among soldiers stationed in their desert domain, who have often captured specimens alive and then set them against each other, betting upon the outcome of these staged solifugid fights.