Comments on: Mystery Hills Spider

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:27:38 +0000

See it’s this kind of misinformation that gets spread around and then people start to believe it. Before you know it, people think they suck brains and burrow into a host. These creatures do not bite humans. Just google harvestman and do some research on it before spreading false information.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:22:53 +0000

Yes, they bite. Other insects.

By: kacoshiajewl

kacoshiajewl — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 02:01:42 +0000

Daddy longlegs do bite, to answer the question.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 05:24:25 +0000

I went and researched more on this spider (they are not my area of expertise!) and it seems that their venom is not even that strong when used on insects. The common notion that they have powerful venom is a myth apparently. Even scientists and documentarians who should know better buy into this myth. Hmmm, learn somthing new everyday.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 03:30:57 +0000

“Daddy long legs” as they are often called are actually quite venomous. However, although their venom is potent, they lack the ability to puncture human skin. they just are not equipped with strong enough fangs. I think something else bit you and the daddy long legs on your leg took the blame. Unless you have discovered a new type that can bite harder.

By: purrlcat

purrlcat — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 14:00:44 +0000

Do daddy longlegs bite humans? Everyone tells me NO, but I think differently. I was in my backyard at a cookout one time, wearing shorts. I was sitting there, minding my own business when I felt a ’stinging’ pain on my shin. It was like the stinging of a ‘biting’ fly. I looked down to see a daddy longlegs sitting right there on my leg! I brushed him off and complained it had bitten me, but everyone just pooh-poohed it, and kept telling me they don’t bite, while my leg was still stinging. I say they bite!

By: jayman

jayman — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 13:20:42 +0000

Jeremy, et al, I didn’t mean to be pedantic here, but this is a good example of how popular press (this is AP) science reports garble data and create confusion. The headline flatly states the student found a spider species, then a couple sentences into the report equates spider with harvestman. Then in the next sentence it’s back to “spider” again. So, bottom line is it’s hard to be certain from this report just what he did find - I’m assuming a new harvestman.

I’m not saying whoever wrote this report should have known the difference up front, but a few minutes’ research on the Web before going into print would have cleared it up easily.

By: Tim Cassidy

Tim Cassidy — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 01:33:53 +0000

Indeed, they are not spiders, they are opiliones. Instead of two body parts as spiders they have only one. They are still classified as arachnids (ie. eight legs), and they aren’t venomous either! Talk about urban folklore!

Congrats on the find!

By: Jeremy_Wells

Jeremy_Wells — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 21:43:15 +0000

jayman,

True, but most of us journalist types have a hard time spelling inverterbra…

invertabre…

inivertebrat…

bugs

By: jayman

jayman — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 02:17:26 +0000

Interesting article - some crypto work is done at very small scales.

For the record, harvestmen are not spiders, though they are related. And neither spiders or harvestmen are insects.