dug - 5-25-2004 at 08:32 PM
Sunday a man in Valle de La Trinidad told me of a scorpion-like animal called a "deer killer" that was dangerous/fatal to humans.
Can anybody give more info on this?
Thanks
It's a Drink that would pretty much kill anything!
Mexray - 5-25-2004 at 11:16 PM
Deer Killer
2 shots Vodka
1 pint Firewater
4 tblsp Tabasco Sauce
1 splash Butterscotch Schnapps
10 oz Wild Turkey
6 oz Jack Daniels
30 shots Jagermeister
It would sure do me in, at any rate!
sin nombre - 5-26-2004 at 07:41 AM
....yeah, kind of looks like a cross between a potato bug and a scorpion, but it has long legs in front, and a double set of jaws. The largest one I
ever saw was about 4" long. We usually see them come out in the warmer weather. They can run like the wind. known here as, "Mata Venados".
Deer killer
Taco de Baja - 5-26-2004 at 08:47 AM
Also know as a Camel Spider in Iraq
or a Wind Scorpion in the US.
In Mexico they are called Matavenados - deer killer, deer slayer. They have what appears to be 10 leggs, huge jaws and are very ugly 
, hopefully the picture will attach. My mom found a 2" one in her sleeping bag in
the San Pedro Martir, so they can aslo take cold weather too.
From the web:
Camel spiders (so named because, like camels, they can be found in sandy desert regions) grow to be moderately large (about a 5" leg span), they can
move very quickly in comparison to other arthropods (a top speed of maybe 10 MPH); and they capture prey without the use of either venom or
anesthetic. Camel spiders rely on speed, stealth, and the (non-venomous) bite of powerful jaws to feed on small prey such as other arthropods (e.g.,
scorpions, crickets, pillbugs), lizards, and possibly mice or birds. They use only three pairs of legs in running; the frontmost pair (called
pedipalpa) is held aloft and used in a similar manner to the antennae of insects. Camel spiders shun the sun and generally hide during the day, coming
out at night to do their hunting.
[Edited on 5-26-2004 by Baja Taco]
BajaNomad - 5-26-2004 at 10:28 AM
Repost of Baja Taco's image below.
"Although they look ferocious and have a powerful bite, they are harmless ? for humans at least. Despite the name and appearance, camel spiders are
actually solifugids which, unlike spiders, do not have venom or silk glands. They prey on spiders, scorpions, insects, small vertebrates and other
solifugids. Usually nocturnal, they sometimes come out in the day but will seek out shadows, even if the shadow is cast by a human. If the person
moves, the solifugid follows the shadow, which gives the impression it is giving pursuit. It?s easy enough to get that impression, particularly as
camel spiders can move at speeds of up to 16km/h."
[Edited on 5-26-2004 by BajaNomad]
Bajabus - 5-26-2004 at 11:21 AM
I guess my lighthearted joke was considered in poor taste and deleted?
mexrays response seems kinda silly just hanging there all by it's lonesome.
heee heeeeheeee
Marie-Rose - 5-26-2004 at 05:46 PM
While in Todos a couple of months ago, the young couple who ran the fruit stand had a young dog (4-6 mts). He appeared very healthy and one day was
no longer there. When we questioned them they said he had been bitten by a bug and died several hours later.(even though our spanish is limited they
drew a picture!) Could this be so? Would it be this bug?
JESSE - 5-26-2004 at 07:10 PM
Mexicans also know them by "ni?os de la tierra" or children of the earth, and are considered far more dangerous than scorpions.
ni?o de la tierra
Jack Swords - 5-26-2004 at 07:52 PM
The ni?o de la tierra is the Jerusalem cricket commonly known as a "potato bug". While it is carnivorous and has a nasty set of mandibles on its
large head, it is not dangerous. It will bite and draw blood but carries no poison. The matavenado is usually a wind scorpion as indicated by
previous posters.
See: http://www.calacademy.org/science_now/archive/where_in_the_w...
Matavenados
Taco de Baja - 5-27-2004 at 10:32 AM
are not poisonous, just have a painful bite/pinch, probably like a crab.
The puppy could have been stung by a real scorpion or a bitten by a vibora de cascabel, either of which has the potential to kill it.
[Edited on 5-27-2004 by Taco de Baja]
matavenado
bajalera - 5-27-2004 at 12:55 PM
In La Paz, some people also give this name to a cocoa-brown spider shaped rather like a black widow (a roundish body elevated above the legs), except
it's larger. One of these got inside a boot and bit my foot (right through a sock), and the wound developed into a nasty-looking sore that looked like
a tiny volcano crater. This didn't heal for nearly three months, during which I tried out all the different remedies people recommended. None of them
gave any immediate results but I guess all of them worked, since it eventually dried up.
I looked for this one in a book about spiders, and it fit the description of a "brown recluse."
bajalera
Bajabus - 5-27-2004 at 01:20 PM
I agree, sure sounds like a brown recluse. I have seen these wounds on friends in AZ, nasty and take forever to heal.
Eli - 5-27-2004 at 05:04 PM
Well, wouldn’t you know it, I have yet another version of Matavenado; It is kind of long, black, flat and tear shaped, tiny head, with a red strip on
the back bug. I think they are also called Chin Chi (so sorry on the spelling) or Assassin Bug, oh and they are a true nasty little bug. They are
called Matavenado because deer hosts them, also cattle, most likely any warm-blooded creature will suit them fine I expect. As a bloodsucker, they can
leave a mean welt, also carry a type of fever or or it might be that one can get sick from an infection due to the bugs nasty little bite. Yes, I have
had bouts with them, euuuuuuuuuh, nasty!
Anonymous - 5-28-2004 at 08:28 PM
but did not the OP state that is was a scorpion-like animal...could this be another chupacabra story?deer killer,goat sucker,is there really a
differance?
sounds like the chupavenado
BajaVida - 6-8-2004 at 07:46 AM
distant cousin to chupacabras (not to be confused with the chupacabron)