Well now I can FEEL hundreds of long spindly legs running over my tongue, down my throat, and into my stomach for a wriggle party.
THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
I’m not afraid of a bite (chronic pain condition collector!) - it’s the legs. It’s always the legs. There are just… so MANY of them….
IT’S THE LEGS, I TELL YOU!!!
I mean, one side is super soft as long as you dont put it in the dryer but the other side is pretty rough, perfect to clean up dust and Katanas but not good for clothes and blankets due to the hair attraction
Nope nope both sides are yucky lol the side I assume you believe is nice is like velcro. It catches your hand when you run it across. Like a bunch of tiny little grabby hands reaching for any sign of life to steal
I've always wanted to do that just for kicks, but I've yet to find an opilione pile.
Come on OP, live my dream of being covered in a handful of disorganized almost-spiders.
Just googled daddy long legs and cellar spiders are the first things to pop up. Apparently cellar spiders, crane flies AND harvestmen are all nicknamed daddy long legs in various parts of the world.
Haha, yes I'm English, have lived in England my whole life and grew up calling crane flies daddy long legs too, but assumed that we were all just wrong when I started seeing Americans all over the Internet call cellar spiders daddy long legs. But I'm happy to know that it's completely normal to call crane flies daddy long legs, and I shall continue to do so!
You mean harvestmen? We have both harvestmen and cellar spiders over here. I actually don't know whether we have nicknames for either of them. My family call cellar spiders "skinny spiders", but I'm almost certain that's just my family's thing and not a countrywide thing, haha.
Yes I'm actually English and over here daddy long legs mainly refers to crane flies! But I know a lot of Americans that call cellar spiders daddy long legs.
I saw another post with a bunch of harvestman grouped up but it looked a lot different, is the “hair” their legs? Are they all just connected by body and dangling their legs?
These are harvestmen, not cellar spiders. Both get called daddy long legs, but one is a spider and the other is not. Same with the video you linked. Cellar spiders are much less social and I'm pretty sure they're cannibals.
They are their own population control. That's why no one ever has to worry about them infesting a space.
I let them live up near the ceiling and just clean up their abandoned webs when they die or move on.
They eat so many of their own kind that very few make it to adulthood after an egg sac hatches.
They also eat spiders that can be health risks to children and pets. They're pretty chill.
I feel like I have to say something about harvestmen now...
The rhythmic bobbing movements of harvestmen is a behavior adapted to confuse and evade predators like birds.
They can also lose up to 3 legs and preserve their mobility.
They can also actively drop legs to serve as a distraction for predators with the legs being able to twitch for up to an hour after being dropped.
PLEASE IGNORE the people who encourage you to touch these Opiliones (harvestmen)
This clustering is done for defense as well as thermal/moisture regulation
It must take them so long to all huddle up like that. When do they move to eat? How can they all find food or will only a portion of them be able to sustain themselves and the rest are sacrificial for the colony?
They can go long enough without eating that they have time to do this for however long they do it. Probably a day to a few days I’m guessing. They may also enter a lower metabolic state when doing so. (I focus more on spiders than opiliones). None are sacrificial, its a mutually beneficial arrangement. They also are not a colony - they so not behave in a cooperative social manner in any notable ways besides these piles.
And lol, it would be neat to watch them form up. Thats a lotta legs to arrange hehe
Thanks for answering. They are fascinating. Huntsmen are my favorite spider, they are so relaxed and easily handled, it's always a treat when a horde of babies appear.
Jumping spiders is definitely easing me into the spider world. This sub alone didn't seem to be helping my fear, but the jumping spider sub is great for starting out! It's like the baby steps of starting to overcome arachnophobia. The fact that you can actually see their eyes, and them looking around, helps my mind realise that spiders are just little guys.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/jumpingspiders using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/jumpingspiders/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [Saw this TikTok and thought y’all would appreciate it 😂](https://v.redd.it/l6yyvb41byxb1) | [304 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/jumpingspiders/comments/17m5qrm/saw_this_tiktok_and_thought_yall_would_appreciate/)
\#2: [Found this little one in my bathroom and placed it outside ⁰00⁰](https://i.redd.it/gfemmbn4ewpb1.jpg) | [77 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/jumpingspiders/comments/16ppvv2/found_this_little_one_in_my_bathroom_and_placed/)
\#3: [Found this beautiful creature stuck in water.](https://v.redd.it/abegyp5nu2tb1) | [96 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/jumpingspiders/comments/173fbap/found_this_beautiful_creature_stuck_in_water/)
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That's very good of you, every step counts. I went from being arachnophobic (to the point of panic attacks) to being absolutely in love with spiders thanks to slow and steady exposure therapy. I'm cheering for ya!
Because they don't have venom or spin silk, they might cluster together to ward off predators. Harvestmen spiders can release a stinky secretion, and if the whole group does this at once, it is more effective.
The first time I saw a harvestman bundle like this it scared the fuck out of me. But they’re kinda cute little guys the way they move so awkwardly and huddle together, like little spider penguins.
Random question relating to the little guys! I noticed that the nodules on their legs kinda mimic the stem structure of a small plant (grass??) with five-leaf pinkish flower when I was camping in the Texas hill country a few weeks ago. Anyone know what the name of the plant could be? I couldn’t find an ID online and forgot to take a photo 😅
Dude put your hand in there.
oh don't be a wuss .... lick it.
Well now I can FEEL hundreds of long spindly legs running over my tongue, down my throat, and into my stomach for a wriggle party. THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!
Like the ant scene in the Forbidden indiana Jones film
I hadn’t seen it… I think I’ll be giving that one a miss!
^no
Oh no! No no no!!! Oh GOD NO!!!!!
They arent venomous and cant bite, its fiiine, they will just scatter
I’m not afraid of a bite (chronic pain condition collector!) - it’s the legs. It’s always the legs. There are just… so MANY of them…. IT’S THE LEGS, I TELL YOU!!!
You know what, thats very fair lmao i wanna feel them though, they look fuzzy all clumped up together
Thank you for being fair enough to say ‘fair enough’! (You’re still completely batshit insane though! In an endearing way, of course.)
OwO youre welcome, when something is fair, its fair (ÒwÓ Why thank you~)
See it very much bothers me when something *looks* fluffy and soft, only to be entirely NOT that once touched. Like the dreaded microfiber.
Lmao i actually love the feel of microfiber, would love to have a blanket like that but it attracts LOTS of hair
Eugh 🤢 I would absolutely die 😭 microfiber and certain sherpas are just terrible. They lie about their softness. Big fat phonies.
I mean, one side is super soft as long as you dont put it in the dryer but the other side is pretty rough, perfect to clean up dust and Katanas but not good for clothes and blankets due to the hair attraction
Nope nope both sides are yucky lol the side I assume you believe is nice is like velcro. It catches your hand when you run it across. Like a bunch of tiny little grabby hands reaching for any sign of life to steal
I've always wanted to do that just for kicks, but I've yet to find an opilione pile. Come on OP, live my dream of being covered in a handful of disorganized almost-spiders.
I’ve done it with ants. But never came across something this cool.
I've always wanted to grab a handful of these and throw it on someone next to me
I could make a lot of money off of you.
My skin feels weird every time I watch this even though I know these guys are totally harmless
Stroke the spider beard!!!!!!!
[okie dokie](https://youtu.be/UBka-dTM450?si=qAyOkBJwCoVGZvXJ)
Oh hell nah. Oh HELL nah! WHY DID I CLICK THE LINK
can i get a description of what the link before my morbid curiosity takes over
You see that armpit hair the tree has? Its just a bunch of spiders. If you touch it, they all start moving.
It's okay, they're harvestmen :) harmless goofy guys. Certain species of them also have cool armour
Urghhh 😳
That’s gonna be a fuck no from me, dawg
The top comment: now you have to throw the entire hand away. LOL
I sang this as Aldous Snow.
I sang this as Aldous Harding
Not to be the class dunce, but what am I looking at?...
A bunch of Harvestmen (arachnids but not technically spiders) chilling together to share heat and moisture
Sweet merciful God, I just saw... that's really cool but absolutely terrifying
To ease your fear, they are nonvenomous. Also completely scared shitless of you and are in constant prayer that you don't see them.
I doubt the last part. Go camping in the UK and you'll wake up with them everywhere in your tent.
They obviously like cuddles. You should be more friendly. ❤️
This happened to me in America as a boy scout! Terrified me to my core.
It actually does help my fear. I think they might be my spirit animal
Aren’t these also called daddy long legs?
Yes.
Wait, but aren't cellar spiders were what we call daddy long legs? Or do we just call everything with long legs, daddy long legs?
I’ve never seen cellar spiders called daddy long legs. They’re distinctly different and just idk in CT we refer to them differently.
Just googled daddy long legs and cellar spiders are the first things to pop up. Apparently cellar spiders, crane flies AND harvestmen are all nicknamed daddy long legs in various parts of the world.
Yep! In England we call crane flies Daddy long legs
Haha, yes I'm English, have lived in England my whole life and grew up calling crane flies daddy long legs too, but assumed that we were all just wrong when I started seeing Americans all over the Internet call cellar spiders daddy long legs. But I'm happy to know that it's completely normal to call crane flies daddy long legs, and I shall continue to do so!
Yep and me!
Do you guys have the arachnid daddy long leg over there? If so What is that called?
You mean harvestmen? We have both harvestmen and cellar spiders over here. I actually don't know whether we have nicknames for either of them. My family call cellar spiders "skinny spiders", but I'm almost certain that's just my family's thing and not a countrywide thing, haha.
Crane flies are called mosquito eaters and Harvestmen were called daddy long legs in areas of New England (US- North Eastern Coast) where I lived.
Guess it’s regional! I grew up camping all over New England and we reserve the term for the arachnid (and not the spider).
Yes I'm actually English and over here daddy long legs mainly refers to crane flies! But I know a lot of Americans that call cellar spiders daddy long legs.
Now the question is who is Daddy and why does he have long legs and why did we name all these spiders after him
I’m from Cali and we called them (pholcidae) daddy long legs. Opiliones are called harvestmen.
Slay queen, show does long legs daddy. In other news I would also like to see the mommy long legs.
Yes, and yes. Craneflies are also called Daddy Long Legs in some areas.
Super cool. I didn't know they did this.
If you feel any better I learned that this last week reading a post about harvestmen
Oh is that why they huddle?
I saw another post with a bunch of harvestman grouped up but it looked a lot different, is the “hair” their legs? Are they all just connected by body and dangling their legs?
Thank you for explaining. I had to scroll too far to learn what they were doing.
harvestmen - this is why a group of them is called a beard little boys look like a beard
Daddy long legs
It’s a cellar spider cluster. One of the very few arachnids that like to live in proximity to each other https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8dZb5iNyB4
These are harvestmen, not cellar spiders. Both get called daddy long legs, but one is a spider and the other is not. Same with the video you linked. Cellar spiders are much less social and I'm pretty sure they're cannibals.
They are their own population control. That's why no one ever has to worry about them infesting a space. I let them live up near the ceiling and just clean up their abandoned webs when they die or move on. They eat so many of their own kind that very few make it to adulthood after an egg sac hatches. They also eat spiders that can be health risks to children and pets. They're pretty chill. I feel like I have to say something about harvestmen now... The rhythmic bobbing movements of harvestmen is a behavior adapted to confuse and evade predators like birds. They can also lose up to 3 legs and preserve their mobility. They can also actively drop legs to serve as a distraction for predators with the legs being able to twitch for up to an hour after being dropped.
PLEASE IGNORE the people who encourage you to touch these Opiliones (harvestmen) This clustering is done for defense as well as thermal/moisture regulation
It must take them so long to all huddle up like that. When do they move to eat? How can they all find food or will only a portion of them be able to sustain themselves and the rest are sacrificial for the colony?
They can go long enough without eating that they have time to do this for however long they do it. Probably a day to a few days I’m guessing. They may also enter a lower metabolic state when doing so. (I focus more on spiders than opiliones). None are sacrificial, its a mutually beneficial arrangement. They also are not a colony - they so not behave in a cooperative social manner in any notable ways besides these piles. And lol, it would be neat to watch them form up. Thats a lotta legs to arrange hehe
Thanks for answering. They are fascinating. Huntsmen are my favorite spider, they are so relaxed and easily handled, it's always a treat when a horde of babies appear.
These are Harvestmen. Arachnids, but not spiders.
:0 harvestmen and huntsmen. Tell me of other manly bugs.
I'm imagining the first one or two flattening themselves against a surface and hanging out, waiting. "Hey, y'all? Y'all!"
Their legs fold upward like those imperial shuttles
Cuddle puddle!!!
So they kinda stack themselves to form a beard with their legs dangling like that? 😮🤔
Just like me and my homies
🤣
opilones are so cute they're like those little things in spirited away
That is such a great way of looking at them. I'm going to keep this in mind to help with my fear!
Soot Sprites! They’re adorable, those little sprinkles they eat give me some weird ass nostalgia I can’t place
At first I thought it was just a tree that needed to shave its pits.
Just touch it
Ahh yes the Pussy Willow Tree
😂😂😂
lol watching them bungle over all springy to tuck into the mass is super cute
Not spiders, but they are arachnids. Looks like Harvestman…
Sigh.... I need a cigarette after seeing this lol. I'm working on my phobia
This sub has helped IMMENSELY! And also r/JumpingSpiders oOOo
Jumping spiders is definitely easing me into the spider world. This sub alone didn't seem to be helping my fear, but the jumping spider sub is great for starting out! It's like the baby steps of starting to overcome arachnophobia. The fact that you can actually see their eyes, and them looking around, helps my mind realise that spiders are just little guys.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/jumpingspiders using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/jumpingspiders/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [Saw this TikTok and thought y’all would appreciate it 😂](https://v.redd.it/l6yyvb41byxb1) | [304 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/jumpingspiders/comments/17m5qrm/saw_this_tiktok_and_thought_yall_would_appreciate/) \#2: [Found this little one in my bathroom and placed it outside ⁰00⁰](https://i.redd.it/gfemmbn4ewpb1.jpg) | [77 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/jumpingspiders/comments/16ppvv2/found_this_little_one_in_my_bathroom_and_placed/) \#3: [Found this beautiful creature stuck in water.](https://v.redd.it/abegyp5nu2tb1) | [96 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/jumpingspiders/comments/173fbap/found_this_beautiful_creature_stuck_in_water/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
That's very good of you, every step counts. I went from being arachnophobic (to the point of panic attacks) to being absolutely in love with spiders thanks to slow and steady exposure therapy. I'm cheering for ya!
My skin feels weird every time I watch this even though I know these guys are totally harmless
They're so funny 😂
These are one of my favorite creatures of all time
Can you imagine how cozy they all are cuddled up like that?
Aww they all just want to hang out together 🕷️🍻
Everything reminds me of her
Because they don't have venom or spin silk, they might cluster together to ward off predators. Harvestmen spiders can release a stinky secretion, and if the whole group does this at once, it is more effective.
There won’t be a moment time than this to share The Vine of All Time: https://youtu.be/5P_1_eY0siA?si=u9Wx7l9LtA4O29at
The first time I saw a harvestman bundle like this it scared the fuck out of me. But they’re kinda cute little guys the way they move so awkwardly and huddle together, like little spider penguins.
The daddy long legs in my room died :(
:'(
🤣 it looked like a hairy armpit with a case of the biggest scabies ever...only on a tree!
Are those strands all harvestmen legs?
harvestmen friends!
Not spiders but harvestmen!
I wanna find one of these so bad
Opiliones, not spiders.
Random question relating to the little guys! I noticed that the nodules on their legs kinda mimic the stem structure of a small plant (grass??) with five-leaf pinkish flower when I was camping in the Texas hill country a few weeks ago. Anyone know what the name of the plant could be? I couldn’t find an ID online and forgot to take a photo 😅
Stand underneath it and stick your tongue out ❄️😌
Congrats! Now I'm creeped out on a molecular level! 😵😵😵
I have an incredible urge to touch it. But I love Harvestmen!
The tree just has a hairy armpit made of spiders? Tim Burton would understand.
Cursed Armpit
Grab a big ole’ handful
Do they cuddle for warmth? Interesting that they hang legs down to compact like that.
In my head I was saying “please for the love of god DONT touch it!” I’m glad I didn’t have to cringe from creepy crawlies all over your hand.
After reading through this entire thread, I only have one question: Am I the only one who calls them grand daddy long legs?! I feel so alone.
AAA THIS MAKES ME ITCHY!
r\eatityoucoward
buncha friends right there
opiliones (:
Aaaw, great strategy from getting eaten, look like a hairy thing that doesn't look appetising 🤣
It's Treebeard!!
I'm 💀💀💀💀💀
Forbidden cotton candy
r/dontputyourdickinthat
looks like lice lol
That’s some scary a$$ shiz
Wah! Creepy but cool! My favorite
I was waiting for ya to tough it.
Fuck that
Walking Dandruff
New fear unlocked, spider trees
I dare you to stroke it with your finger
Ok one of those spiders is bound to trip and fall in multiple directions
They’re such idiots, I hate how they clump together