Have U Seen Me?

MizM

Arachnoprincess
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 13, 2003
Messages
4,915
I live in Texas, near Austin. I hang out in small groups, often with a loner nearby. What the heck am I?
 
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8+)

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 21, 2007
Messages
645
You are an Opiliones, otherwise known as a harvesmen, and often called Granddaddy Longlegs, Daddy Longlegs, etc... You are not a spider.
 

cacoseraph

ArachnoGod
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Jan 5, 2005
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8,325
cool find.

we found a very similar species in Azusa, CA on one of the SCABIES hunts

until they stood still i was very confused... they totally use those number II legs like a tailless whip scorpion... i got VERY excited for a second ;)

edit:

oh yeah, a neat thing is that even though these are "big" arachnids (not mites, etc) they can eat vegetable matter and stuff! they are more like millipedes in that they are detritivore/scavengers more than hunters. i think they can hunt little things, too, though
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
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Apr 11, 2007
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5,438
Are those things of interest to bug-o-philes? I've lived in WV and MD my whole life and always seen them by the buh-jillions. It's never occurred to me that they would be considered fascinating by anybody. I'd paw through dozens in the barn looking for one black widow when i was a kid. I've seen them get quite big with a body about the size of a pea and maybe 4+" legspan. I've always wondered how something so wispy and light can take down big prey. They'll eat wolf spiders, crickets 2x their size, each other, etc...
 

JungleGuts

Arachnoprince
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May 7, 2006
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1,123
"daddy long legs" are in the woods all over the place in the midwest. They always end up in my tent when im camping.
 

lucanidae

Arachnoprince
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Jan 15, 2006
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1,081
Family Phalangidae; about 95% of the Opilionids you find in the U.S. belong to this family. I have never heard of a Phalangidae being any more of a predator than a simple scavenger. They are venomless and very fragile so I doubt their ability to take down a healthy spider.
 

MizM

Arachnoprincess
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 13, 2003
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4,915
Wow! We have DDLs in Southern California by the millions, and my brother said these things are way "huger"! Well, they DO grow everything bigger in Texas.:D I love harvestmen, they harvest all of the bugs around my porch light!:eek:
 

pwilfort

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
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Aug 8, 2004
Messages
133
Aw! I am from Texas but I have family in California in the Los Angeles area!! LOL!
Really Terri I have seen these here in Los Angeles, they like my bath tub I find them there and put them outside. I put them in my hand they haven't bite me don't know if they do bite?
Pen
 

Taceas

Arachnolord
Old Timer
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May 12, 2006
Messages
658
They're crawling all over the place here. Big ones and little ones, obviously different species. But yeah, we call them Daddy Longlegs.
 

Drachenjager

Arachnoemperor
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Jan 23, 2006
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3,509
I've always wondered how something so wispy and light can take down big prey. They'll eat wolf spiders, crickets 2x their size, each other, etc...
yes of course ... and all Tarantulas can kill a man just by lookign at him
 

MizM

Arachnoprincess
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 13, 2003
Messages
4,915
When I was a little girl, I used to pull their legs off and watch the leg wiggle!:eek: I guess they are a great starter species for the hoby!:rolleyes:
 
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