February 8, 2007: Thousands of daddy-long-leggers

Undertoad · 02-08-2007, 08:51 AM

From Neatorama via Something Awful comes this horrible, horrible image, of a clump of these spider-like things - whatever they are. There seems to be some controversy over whether they're spiders or what, but I'm not sticking around long enough to figure it out in detail, thank you very much.

todd_brannigan · 02-08-2007, 08:57 AM

Looks like a patch of pubes....

Wonder how they taste (spiders, not pubes)?

These are commonly called "harvestmen" and they do congregrate like this occasionally, although I've never seen that amount of concentration.

glatt · 02-08-2007, 09:03 AM

I always thought they were spiders, but my 2nd grade daughter explained to me patiently last summer that they are not spiders. Kids today are so freaking smart. Anyway, I like daddy long legs. They are cool. I'm always careful around them because they seem so delicate.

bluesdave · 02-08-2007, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

I always thought they were spiders, but my 2nd grade daughter explained to me patiently last summer that they are not spiders. Kids today are so freaking smart. Anyway, I like daddy long legs. They are cool. I'm always careful around them because they seem so delicate.

It depends on which country you live in. Down here we have the traditional Daddy Longlegs, which as previously pointed out, is not a true spider, but then we do have spiders that look very similar. Not only that, but researchers discovered in the last year or two that the spider actually has a deadly (to humans), venom, but its fangs are so small, they cannot deliver a sufficient quantity to do any damage (in fact they rarely break the skin). I don't have time to look up references, but if I can find one later I will post it.

So, the bottom line is that the traditional Daddy Longlegs is not a spider, but there are similar looking real spiders in some countries, some of which are venomous.

monster · 02-08-2007, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by todd_brannigan

Looks like a patch of pubes....

A live merkin. Adds that extra something.....

LabRat · 02-08-2007, 09:02 AM

Daddy long legs. *memories*
Anyone who has camped around here is intimately familiar with them, as they get into everything. You just grab them by a leg and fling 'em into your neighbors campsite. Or, if you are a pre-pubecent male, pull 1/2 the legs off of one side and watch the poor thing scoot around in a circle.

LabRat · 02-08-2007, 09:11 AM

Daddy-Long-Legs
HYG-2060B-04
Susan C. Jones, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Entomology
Extension Specialist, Household & Structural Pests

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daddy-long-legs, also known as harvestmen, are very commonly confused with spiders due to their general appearance and eight legs. However, these tan to brown creatures belong to the order Opiliones and are not spiders, all of which belong to the order Araneae. Although they are close relatives of spiders, daddy-long-legs do not bite humans, and they are not poisonous (they lack venom glands). They do not construct webs.

Class: Arachnida
Order: Opiliones
Common name: Daddy-long-legs or harvestmen Identification
Daddy-long-legs have eight very long, slender legs, although some species have shorter legs. They have an oval, compact, small body (1/16 to 1/2 inch long) that is held well above the ground by the thread-like long legs. Their body appears to be a single unit because the cephalothorax (combined head and thorax) and abdomen are broadly joined (no narrow waist), whereas spiders have a constriction between the cephalothorax and abdomen. Daddy-long-legs should not be confused with cellar spiders, which are found in cobwebs in dark, damp basements, cellars, and crawl spaces. Although cellar spiders have long legs, their body has a constricted waist (see HYG-2060).

Shawnee123 · 02-08-2007, 09:15 AM

As arachnophobic as I am, I am not afraid of daddy long legs. However, that pic of thousands of them has me rethinking my viewpoint. Eeeek

Sundae · 02-08-2007, 09:25 AM

They're not what we call daddy long legs. We reserve that name for crane flies, which have wings. And lord do they use them on late summer evenings when they find their way in through windows and bump about the room....

I wouldn't be happy to see that amount of anything though - every time I look at the picture it's giving me goosebumps.

From here:

Hoof Hearted · 02-08-2007, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

From here:

^ sorry, that was supposed to be the pic of Sundae's crane fly...

We call those mosquito-hawks, too. However they still freak me out. Flying Daddy Long Legs. What could be worse than that?!
If it looks like a spider, I'm gonna freak. I can't help it. That pic of the hairy-looking wall made me cringe and make a squeamish noise. I couldn't look for long, I had to scroll very quickly...Good Lord! I think I have a tear in my eye! I hope tomorrows Friday animal pic is something cute and cuddley to help me get over this...
hh

Dypok · 02-08-2007, 09:40 AM

Kill 'em with fire. Its the only way to be sure.

Sheldonrs · 02-08-2007, 09:47 AM

It reminds me of those magnetic toys where you use the magnet to guide the metal particles over the picture of a man to form a beard and hair.

Perry Winkle · 02-08-2007, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dypok

Kill 'em with fire. Its the only way to be sure.

Quick! Someone call Jeff Daniels!

lumberjim · 02-08-2007, 09:46 AM

that's a mosquito hawk

Happy Monkey · 02-08-2007, 09:52 AM

Close up (warning: big)

02-08-2007, 08:51 AM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	February 8, 2007: Thousands of daddy-long-leggers From Neatorama via Something Awful comes this horrible, horrible image, of a clump of these spider-like things - whatever they are. There seems to be some controversy over whether they're spiders or what, but I'm not sticking around long enough to figure it out in detail, thank you very much.

02-08-2007, 09:02 AM	#6
LabRat twatfaced two legged bumhole Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,143	Daddy long legs. memories Anyone who has camped around here is intimately familiar with them, as they get into everything. You just grab them by a leg and fling 'em into your neighbors campsite. Or, if you are a pre-pubecent male, pull 1/2 the legs off of one side and watch the poor thing scoot around in a circle. __________________ Strength does not come from how much weight you can lift, or how many miles you can run. It comes from knowing that you set a goal, and rose to the challenge. Strength comes from within.

02-08-2007, 09:11 AM	#7
LabRat twatfaced two legged bumhole Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,143	Daddy-Long-Legs HYG-2060B-04 Susan C. Jones, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Entomology Extension Specialist, Household & Structural Pests -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daddy-long-legs, also known as harvestmen, are very commonly confused with spiders due to their general appearance and eight legs. However, these tan to brown creatures belong to the order Opiliones and are not spiders, all of which belong to the order Araneae. Although they are close relatives of spiders, daddy-long-legs do not bite humans, and they are not poisonous (they lack venom glands). They do not construct webs. Class: Arachnida Order: Opiliones Common name: Daddy-long-legs or harvestmen Identification Daddy-long-legs have eight very long, slender legs, although some species have shorter legs. They have an oval, compact, small body (1/16 to 1/2 inch long) that is held well above the ground by the thread-like long legs. Their body appears to be a single unit because the cephalothorax (combined head and thorax) and abdomen are broadly joined (no narrow waist), whereas spiders have a constriction between the cephalothorax and abdomen. Daddy-long-legs should not be confused with cellar spiders, which are found in cobwebs in dark, damp basements, cellars, and crawl spaces. Although cellar spiders have long legs, their body has a constricted waist (see HYG-2060). __________________ Strength does not come from how much weight you can lift, or how many miles you can run. It comes from knowing that you set a goal, and rose to the challenge. Strength comes from within. Last edited by LabRat; 02-08-2007 at 09:59 AM.

02-08-2007, 09:15 AM	#8
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	As arachnophobic as I am, I am not afraid of daddy long legs. However, that pic of thousands of them has me rethinking my viewpoint. Eeeek __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

02-08-2007, 09:25 AM	#9
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	They're not what we call daddy long legs. We reserve that name for crane flies, which have wings. And lord do they use them on late summer evenings when they find their way in through windows and bump about the room.... I wouldn't be happy to see that amount of anything though - every time I look at the picture it's giving me goosebumps. From here: Attached Images __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

02-08-2007, 08:57 AM	#2
todd_brannigan Fellow-Commoner Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: East TN Posts: 10	Looks like a patch of pubes.... Wonder how they taste (spiders, not pubes)? These are commonly called "harvestmen" and they do congregrate like this occasionally, although I've never seen that amount of concentration.

02-08-2007, 09:03 AM	#3
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I always thought they were spiders, but my 2nd grade daughter explained to me patiently last summer that they are not spiders. Kids today are so freaking smart. Anyway, I like daddy long legs. They are cool. I'm always careful around them because they seem so delicate.

02-08-2007, 09:40 AM	#11
Dypok Fuel the body, build the muscle, burn the fat, free the mind Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 27	Kill 'em with fire. Its the only way to be sure. __________________ There follows an untranslatable play on words with the use of local idiomatic expressions.

02-08-2007, 09:47 AM	#12
Sheldonrs Master Dwellar Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 4,412	It reminds me of those magnetic toys where you use the magnet to guide the metal particles over the picture of a man to form a beard and hair. __________________ Laugh and the world laughs with you; cry and the world laughs AT you.

02-08-2007, 09:46 AM	#14
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	that's a mosquito hawk __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

02-08-2007, 09:52 AM	#15
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Close up (warning: big) __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

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