Are Daddy Long Leg Spiders Poisonous?
Behold! It is a Daddy Long Legs Spider
Now, dear readers, I was walking from my dorm room into the bathroom of my university hall and behold! A spider was standing on its long legs and, staring firmly at me with its two eyes and ready to jump and attack. You ask how scary this animal was?
Oh, was it scary! I thought it could kill me! I have heard rumors that this Daddy Long Legs spider is indeed the most venomous animal in the world. Of course, I ran away from this animal, as anyone else should when they see one!
Except… it is not a spider to begin with. It resembles the scorpion more than a spider itself. Spiders have eight eyes, while scorpions only have two. Spiders have separated abdomen and thorax with head, while the daddy long legs spider’s body is all unified under one cavity. Yes, my dear readers, you have been calling this animal the wrong title all along.
Mind as well call it a “Daddy Long Legs Scorpion.” At least you can call them arachnids, as they do belong to the same family spiders are from. Now, do you feel bad calling them by their wrong name? I am just kidding; they do not mind being called spiders. There is one more fact though that I want you to know about these “spiders” that will surprise you.
Not only are they not really spiders, but they are also not venomous! Yes, my dear readers, they will not hurt you in anyway. To surprise you even more, let me tell you that these creatures do not attack humans ever. Even though they have scary mandibles and exceptionally long terrifying legs, they only use these to capture preys that are smaller than the creature itself. Incredible, isn’t it?
It does not stop here though. They could also help you by exposing other hidden pests in your area. When you see many of these spiders around in any building, this tends to mean that other creatures that have an easier time hiding from your eyes are invading your property. Sadly, we believe that they are the pests and ignore the real issue in these buildings: they are just looking for food, and your building is rich on these pests that they are looking for.
They have been helping you all along, and instead you treat them not only by their wrong title, but also with fear! Now, readers, have you been one of the millions of people who are misinformed about daddy long legs spiders? Please, rethink on the importance of these spiders; they could help you figure out other more serious problems withing your building.
In fact, daddy long legs spiders are so wholesome that videogame producers have created a video game called Daddy Long Legs, where they portray this little creature as an innocent one, and the player must control the way the creature walks without letting the body fall into the ground. It is a creative way of educating people about false myths regarding daddy long legs spiders, and how we can appreciate them more.
Now, whenever I see that same daddy long legs spider again in the hall towards my bathroom, I will fear not, and behold! I will be more friendly and respectful towards my new friend. Should I check for other pests in my university hall?
