2006-06-26 05:57:28 · 13 answers · asked by pingme03 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
they tackled this question on myth busters once. they found out that while daddy long legs venom may be a little too poisonous their fangs are too short to break through skin
hope this helps :o)
2006-06-26 06:01:45 · answer #1 · answered by canadian_beaver_77 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Is there any truth to this oft-repeated tale?
Daddy-longlegs (Opiliones) - these arachnids make their living by eating decomposing vegetative and animal matter although are opportunist predators if they can get away with it. They do not have venom glands, fangs or any other mechanism for chemically subduing their food. Therefore, they do not have poison and, by the powers of logic, cannot be poisonous from venom. Some have defensive secretions that might be poisonous to small animals if ingested. So, for these daddy-long-legs, the tale is clearly false.
Daddy-longlegs spiders (Pholcidae) - Here, the myth is incorrect at least in making claims that have no basis in known facts. There is no reference to any pholcid spider biting a human and causing any detrimental reaction. If these spiders were indeed deadly poisonous but couldn't bite humans, then the only way we would know that they are poisonous is by milking them and injecting the venom into humans. For a variety of reasons including Amnesty International and a humanitarian code of ethics, this research has never been done. Furthermore, there are no toxicological studies testing the lethality of pholcid venom on any mammalian system (this is usually done with mice). Therefore, no information is available on the likely toxic effects of their venom in humans, so the part of the myth about their being especially poisonous is just that: a myth. There is no scientific basis for the supposition that they are deadly poisonous and there is no reason to assume that it is true.
What about their fangs being too short to penetrate human skin? Pholcids do indeed have short fangs, which in arachnological terms is called "uncate" because they have a secondary tooth which meets the fang like the way the two grabbing parts of a pair of tongs come together. Brown recluse spiders similarly have uncate fang structure and they obviously are able to bite humans. There may be a difference in the musculature that houses the fang such that recluses have stronger muscles for penetration because they are hunting spiders needing to subdue prey whereas pholcid spiders are able to wrap their prey and don't need as strong a musculature. So, again, the myth states as fact something about which there is no scientific basis.
In summary
For true daddy-long-legs, the opilionids, the myth is certainly false, and for the daddy-long-legs spiders it is certainly not based on known facts.
2006-06-26 15:20:08 · answer #2 · answered by bmybabytoday 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The show "MythBusters" actually resolved this myth for us! They determined that the Daddy Long Legs can actually bite a human being, but it does not contain any poisons that would, in any way, be harmful to humans or animals.
2006-06-26 13:06:51 · answer #3 · answered by DarkOneSaysJump 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They're supposed to be more poisonous than the Black Widow and Brown Recluse, but the thing is their mouths are too small to actually bite a person or animal. So don't worry if you find one crawling around your house.
2006-06-26 13:02:28 · answer #4 · answered by evenstar8723 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - they're not poisonous.
In fact, the typical spider, sometimes also called "Grand-daddy Longlegs" - are not really spiders.
There is a species which is a spider, and which is called "Daddy Longlegs."
Neither seem to be dangerous.
Two source links are below.
Yes, it's confusing to me, too. But there it is.
2006-06-26 13:06:07 · answer #5 · answered by CigarMe 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I heard an old wives tale once that they are the MOST POISONOUS SPIDER in the world, but their mouths are too small to get the venom out...
This, of course, is completely untrue.
2006-06-26 13:00:53 · answer #6 · answered by MissSubversive 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its bites are poisonous, but the mouth is too small to bite humans.
2006-06-26 13:00:50 · answer #7 · answered by x 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to play with them all the time as a kid. If they are actually poisonous, it's not to us people.
2006-06-26 13:17:06 · answer #8 · answered by Tigger 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes they are very poisonous, luckily however their mouths are too small to bite most things. dont think they are any danger to humans or pets.
2006-06-26 15:48:11 · answer #9 · answered by andrajmccormick 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are harmless to humans and i'm guessing animals too. I think they are poisonus but their months aren't big enough to bite humans or animals.
2006-06-26 13:01:32 · answer #10 · answered by hat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋