Sun vs. Artificial Light

[Bruce]

The poor spide... um... not spider. I knew that it was not a spider even when I was young.

By the way, the Daddy Long Legs is very poisonous. However, it cannot bite, so it is not a problem. But... if you wanted to so someone in, just find a bunch of Daddy Long Legs and place them with some liquid in a blender. Serve and wait.

Myth!!

In 2004 the Discovery Channel show MythBusters set out to test the daddy long-legs myth (season 1, episode 13 "Buried in Concrete"). After measuring the spider's fangs at approximately 0.25 mm (average human skin thickness is about 0.10 mm) the show's host was apparently bitten, although the bite produced little more than a mild short-lived burning sensation. This appears to confirm the suspicion that pholcids can penetrate human skin, but that their venom is practically harmless to humans. Additionally, recent research has shown that pholcid venom is actually relatively weak in its effects on insects as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daddy_long-legs_spider

I love Wiki! Oh, from the same source:

Another misconception is that the Daddy long-legs spider is not a true spider. This misconception arises from the multiple uses of the name Daddy long-legs. It is the Harvestman (which is also called Daddy long-legs) which is an arachnid but not a true spider. The Daddy long-legs spider is a true spider.

It's a spider afterall.

 

[Cuddles]

It's a spider afterall.

Depends what country you're in. In Britain they're annoying flying thingies with wings that definately aren't spiders. The poor things must get so confused.

 

[snooziums]

It's a spider afterall.

Sort of. In reality, true "Daddy Long Legs" are rarely seen, and everyone just confuses then with Harvestmans. And the Harvestman is not a true spider.

So what you had there was a Harvestman, as a true Daddy Long Legs would have been hard to have pulled the legs off (they do not "pop" right off like the Harvestman does).

 

[Bruce]

I love this place. Where else could you have an informative, intellectual discussion about pulling the legs off a spider?

 

[scotth]

There are daddy long legs and daddy long leg spiders... the latter are spiders, the former are not.

They do not have venom glands, fangs or any other mechanism for chemically subduing their food. Therefore, they do not have poison and, by the powers of logic, cannot be poisonous from venom

from here.

 

[Just thinking]

I thought all true spiders were venomous.

 

[scotth]

they aren't true spiders, that is the point.

 

[Ririon]

Ah! I see, Thanks for correcting me. You see you learn stuff here.

Oh, I learned a couple of things, all right. A nice little slice of Humble Pie never hurt anybody.