Dec 13, 2007

Harvestman

The harvestman is so-called because they are most commonly seen in late summer and early fall. They are more closely related to mites than spiders, as they spin no webs and are non-venomous. They like romantic walks through the woods at twilight, enjoy dining on juicy invertebrates, and, in warmer climes, love to snuggle up in the mulch beneath rocks for a cozy winter.

Photo source: Jean Pol de Loof

5 comments:

Anna-Laura said...

you mean a daddy-long-legs! that's what we always called them, at least.

in girls scouts, there started a rumor that they were the most poisonous of all spiders, but that because their mouths were so small, they couldn't bite us...

at least we know it's not true.

Anonymous said...

oh daddy-long legs...i remember you well

Arachnophile said...

You wouldn't believe how wide-spread that rumor is.

I love these guys, mostly because they are even more reviled, often, than my dear spider-friends. ;)

You have no idea how bad-ass they are until you see one sucking on somthing that's at least twice the size of it's "body" (minus the legs).

You can see the eye patturn in this shot!

Jack Ruttan said...

It's H.R. Giger's extension cord.

Anonymous said...

I gained a new respect for "daddy long legs" after learning their proper name was harvestman. Harvestman sounds awesome. I sometimes affectionately refer to these much-underrated arachnids as harvestdudes.