With iconic predators like lions, leopards, and cheetahs roaming the African savannah, it’s easy to overlook the inherent skill of some of the region’s smallest hunters: camel spiders.

Also called wind scorpions, camel spiders are neither spiders nor scorpions (nor camels!), although they are often misidentified as such. Camel spiders belong to a group of arachnids known as solpugids. Though they can’t weave webs or produce venom, they’re incredibly fast and armed with a set of oversized, jagged jaws that can bisect a small lizard with ease.

While guiding a tour through Londolozi Game Reserve, adjacent to South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Safari tour guide Guy Brunskill spotted a camel spider in the midst of an epic takedown and