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Daddy Longlegs Myth


Dreamer

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The Myth: Daddy Longlegs are the most poisonous spiders, only their fangs can not bite threw skin.

The Myth = FALSE!

There are three types of bugs referred to as Daddy Longlegs.

1. Daddy-longlegs (Opiliones) = The most common Daddy Longlegs is not even a spider. Its true name is Harvestmen from the order of Opiliones. They have one body section, two eyes, and don’t spin silk. They do not even have fangs, or poison glands. They eat vegetation and decomposing animal matter. So obviously this one is not poisonous, and it can not bite in the sense that spiders do.

2. Daddy-longlegs spiders (Pholcidae) = The second most common of the Daddy Longlegs name. These are actually spiders. While they do have shorter fangs then some, their fangs are about the same as a brown recluse in structure and size. Obviously brown recluse spiders can pierce skin, so can these. However their poison is not nearly toxic enough to cause any sort of reaction. On myth busters they actually did tests and research on the toxicity of their venom, and proven it is very weak. It causes less irritation then a mosquito bite, and is has a weak affect even on insects. So both of the myths are once again false.

3. Daddy-longlegs (Crane Fly) = The least common Daddy Longlegs is the crane fly. Once again not even a spider, its not even poisonous.

So in summary.

The Myth Is FALSE!

Only 1 of the 3 has any poison. And the one that does have poison, can bite, but the poison is extremely weak and causes very little irritation. You should fear the garden variety mosquitoes more.

http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spid...daddyvenom.html

http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html

Edited by Dreamer
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Well then, the daddy long legs is really far more harmless than we all thought!

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Hmmm... I keep hearing that it is the most poisonous but doesn't excrete nearly enough venom to do damage to a person... everyone I know tries to tell me this myth is true.... mosquitos on the other hand scare the kacheebers outta me now.... too many risk factors with them..

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I had't even heard of this myth before  huh.gif

422688[/snapback]

Hell... I only heard of it last week....

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I have. But when ever i see one i pick it up and take its legs off tongue.gif

Yeah, Im evil, but its funny.

422721[/snapback]

Can I pull off your toes, fingers and limbs?..... didn't think so..... poor spiders....

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haha..... okie dokie... I'll just go get some horses and rope........ *walks down to the barn to discover all the horses are drunk*.... dang holiday season.... tongue.gif

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hehe.... sounds like a plan *mixes drink* *whoosh* "what in the.....?"..... dang horses invited the reindeer over... I can't keep up with blitzin..... ugghhhhh I give up...... *tries to sneak shot* *whoosh*..... ugghhhh hmm.gif

Edited by Black Ops
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Well I don't like getting drunk much but if while you're in a drunk stupor and notice red liquid on the floor you've spilt the wine.tongue.gif

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Let me add Myth #4 to your collection, Dreamer... ! ... or is it true... ? huh.gif

In some quarters it has long been believed that although the Daddy Long Legs spider is harmless to man... it is a vicious little carnivore when it comes to capturing and eating deadly fellow-spiders such as the Australian Red-Back... or the North American Black Widow.

Is has always been recommended that if you should happen to espy a Daddy Long Legs taking up residence in the corner of your bedroom ceiling - leave it there!! It will periodically 'vacuum' your room of the highly poisonous varieties of arachnid.. !

Apparently, although the Daddy Long Legs fangs are far too small to penetrate human skin... they are nevertheless very proficient at lancing into the little plump bodies of venomous spiders!!

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That's actually quite interesting....... too bad my cats would eat him tongue.gif

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Hey Dreamer, I dont know where you come from but here the most common is the Daddy-longlegs (Crane Fly), the little fluttery, horrible creatures grin2.gif

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Lol, we have crane flys where i live but we just call them crane flys. We mostly just use the name for the first one. But for the article I gave all instances of different Daddy Longlegs.

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ahh I just had a thought of millions of them becomming carnivors and all crawling over you.....ahh. When I see them I dont kill em, but I cower to a corner and get ready for self defense. gunsmilie.gif

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I am reminded of the extraordinary cleverness and design in Nature every time I see a Daddy Long Legs start to vibrate itself within its web so as to avoid being eaten.

It survives because it can't be identified as anything but a blur. I am an atheist, but it spooks me every time I see it - and I admire this little creature tremendously for having devised this brilliant strategy for survival.

It is just so damned clever that such a small, so-called 'dumb' creature could invent within itself this amazing tactic of visually 'vaporising' itself so as to prevent being identified as something to eat.

Pure genius - and a million miles from any explanations that the Theory of Evolution can come up with.

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Anyone ever think that we don't evolve but rather adapt?

Edited by Black Ops
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Once i saw one as big as a door knob. It was scary. my cat played with if for a while, and by play I mean chew.

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Once i saw one as big as a door knob. It was scary. my cat played with if for a while, and by play I mean chew.

423813[/snapback]

Eeeewwwww..... anyone here happen to watch Starship Troopers 2.... I hate bugs getting close to my nose or mouth for that exact reason (if you didn't see it the "bugs" have a new breed that enters throught the mouth and takes over the body of the host.... kinda like Go'auld in Stargate but without a sarcophagus the human host bodies die and rot quite quickly)

ST 2 also SUCKED!!

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