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| You Are Here: Burke Museum : Spider Myths : Weird : Daddy-Longlegs |
Just Plain Weird Stories
Myth: The daddy-longlegs has the world's most powerful venom, but fortunately its jaws (fangs) are so small that it can't bite you.
Fact: That is a full-fledged Urban Legend, with
no basis in fact whatever. This legend is so widespread that many people believe
it who should really know better, including some teachers and TV documentary
producers.
Three different unrelated groups are called "daddy-longlegs." Harvestmen
(below left) have no venom of any kind.
None at all! Same with crane flies (below right).
Pholcid spiders (below center) have venom
(like almost all spiders) but there's nothing special about it; in fact, a recent
study showed that pholcid venom is unusually weak in its effect on insects.
This myth is debunked at greater length on Rick
Vetter's web site.
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| Harvestman (called daddy-longlegs by some; note body all in one section - not a spider!) Leiobunum rupestre from a photo by Markku Savela) Click image to enlarge |
Pholcid house spider (called daddy-longlegs by others; note 2-section body like all spiders) Pholcus phalangioides from a photo by Bob Thomson) Click image to enlarge |
Crane fly (called daddy-longlegs by still others; it's an insect!) Tipula sp. from a photo by Markku Savela) Click image to enlarge |
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2003, Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture, University of Washington, Box 353010, Seattle, WA 98195, USA Phone: 206-543-5590 Photos © as credited |
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