Do you know: Daddy longlegs, also known as harvestmen, are arachnids that are often mistaken for spiders?
(One is on my deck, made me think of them. Yes they are quite common. Still find them interesting. )
Daddy longlegs, also known as harvestmen, are arachnids that are often mistaken for spiders, but they are not. They have a unique, elongated body and very long legs. They are harmless to humans, do not produce venom, and do not spin webs. Key Features: Body Structure: Daddy longlegs have a fused cephalothorax and abdomen, giving them a single, oval body section. Spiders have a distinct waist between these two body parts. Eyes: They have only two eyes, located on a small bump on the front of their body, unlike most spiders which have eight eyes. Legs: Their legs are very long, often several times longer than their body, which is what gives them their common name.
Venom and Silk: They lack venom glands and do not produce silk, so they do not spin webs. Diet: They are primarily herbivores, feeding on plant matter, but they can also eat insects and other small invertebrates. Behavior: They are known for gathering in clusters, especially during winter, which may be for temperature or humidity control. They also exhibit autotomy, the ability to detach a limb to escape predators. Misconceptions: The common name "daddy longlegs" is also used for a family of spiders called cellar spiders, which can lead to confusion. Distinguishing from Spiders: Body Structure: Daddy longlegs have a fused body, while spiders have a distinct waist between the cephalothorax and abdomen. Eyes: They have two eyes, while most spiders have eight. Silk and Venom: They do not produce silk or venom, unlike spiders. Mouthparts: Their mouthparts are designed for chewing, not injecting venom like spiders.
also, bonus fact: Daddy longlegs, also known as harvestmen, have been around for over 400 million years. Fossil evidence indicates that these creatures, or those very similar to them, have been present on Earth for a significant portion of the planet's history. The earliest fossils of daddy longlegs, or Opiliones, date back to around 420 million years ago
The invertebrates do cover such a huge and fascinating range of little creatures!
Speies of harvestmen occur in the British Isles too, but here by a quirk of language the name "Daddy-Long-Legs" is more often given to an insect, the Crane Fly.
The larvae of these live in the soil, feasting on grass roots. The imago, the Daddy-Long-Legs itself, has a long, slender, cylindrical abdomen, six long, very thin, jointed legs, and fine gossamer wings, but progresses on the ground in a very gangling mix of fluttering and jogging as if its legs can't quite support the rest of the animal.
It's not the most graceful flyer either, quite likely to flitter into you whereas bees, wasps, hover-flies and so on carefully investigate you from a short distance, and normally steer round you.
I have seen harvestmen in my garden, where their long legs help them negotiate vegetation like lank grass.
Cool, I like learning new things. A few weeks ago after my gf called a cellar spider a "daddy long leg". I told her it was a marbled cellar spider & they usually get confused for daddy long legs but that's all I knew 🤷
Daddy longlegs, also known as harvestmen, are arachnids with long, thin legs, but they are not spiders. They belong to the order Opiliones and are closely related to scorpions. Despite their appearance, they lack silk production and venom, which are defining features of true spiders.
