10 Fascinating Facts of the Grand Daddy Longlegs
10 facts w/a picture of the arachnid.
- They are not spiders, but are still in the arachnid family
- They are closely related to mites
- There are over 6400 species worldwide
- They have 8 legs and the second pair of legs doubles as antennae also
- They can eat chunks of food and are not restricted to liquids like other arachnids
- They do not have a sucking stomach, but have a feeding mechanism in front of their mouth and will ingest bits of food
- They have a single pair of eyes in the middle of their head, but because they cant form images, they use their second pair of legs as antennae to help “see the sights” around them
- The females will lay eggs shortly after mating or may lay them months after mating, and the eggs can hatch anywhere from 20 days up to 6 months- In some species, the male is responsible for guarding the eggs
- Some species glue debris onto their bodies or play dead to detour predators-they will also detach their legs, which will keep twitching to mystify their predators, while they escape
- Biggest Myth: They are not venomous! None of the known species have venom glands or fangs.
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One Response to “10 Fascinating Facts of the Grand Daddy Longlegs”
On July 20, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Several clusters of a dozen or so grandaddy long legs on my porch. Why????
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