Is a daddy long legs a spider yes or no?
Most Americans who spend time outdoors use the term for long-legged harvestmen (below, right), which are ground-dwelling outdoor creatures. Harvestmen are arachnids, but they are not spiders — in the same way that butterflies are insects, but they are not beetles.
What makes a daddy long legs not a spider?
Although they have the name “spider,” daddy longlegs are technically not spiders at all. They are a type of arachnid that is actually more closely related to scorpions. Unlike true spiders, daddy longlegs only have 2 eyes instead of 8, and they do not have silk glands so they do not produce webs.
Where did Daddy Long Legs come from?
The Daddy-long-legs Spider, Pholcus phalangioides, is found throughout Australia. It is a cosmopolitan species that originates from Europe and was introduced accidently into Australia.
How long does it take for daddy long legs to give birth?
If you thought carrying a human foetus around required a marathon effort from the mother (and after around 36 weeks gestation it does!), spare a thought for the dedication of the slender female daddy-long-legs spider, Pholcus phalangioides.
Do Daddy-Long-Legs eat black widows?
Indeed, pholcid spiders do have a short fang structure (called uncate due to its “hooked” shape). The legend may result from the fact that the daddy long-legs spider preys upon deadly venomous spiders, such as the redback, a member of the black widow genus Latrodectus.
How big are the legs of a daddy longleg?
To protect themselves, daddy-longlegs produce a pungent odor most predators find distasteful. The body of most adult daddy-longlegs is about 1/16-1/2 inch long, oval with very long legs. Males tend to have smaller bodies than females but they have longer legs. Legs easily break off.
Is the daddy long legs spider a myth?
For true daddy-long-legs, the opilionids, the myth is certainly false, and for the daddy-long-legs spiders it is certainly not based on known facts.
Where do daddy longlegs lay their eggs in the spring?
Female daddy-longlegs lay their eggs in soil, under stones, or cracks in wood. The eggs are laid in the autumn and hatch in the spring. In the northern areas of the United States, daddy-longlegs live for only one year. In South Carolina and the rest of the southeast, daddy-longlegs can overwinter as adults and live for up to two years.
Is it true that daddy longlegs cannot bite?
It’s true that they cannot bite, but the venomous rumour is likely to have been due to its confusion with certain species of spiders. The adult daddy longlegs is a brown, long-bodied insect, with translucent wings and very long legs, which easily fall off if handled.
