2006-10-11 05:14:26 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
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
2006-10-11 05:19:47 · answer #1 · answered by Flibble 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What we generally call Daddy Long Legs in the UK are actually called Crane Flies and aren't spiders at all.
Where the confusion comes about is that the Daddy Long Legs name is applied to a number of different types of spiders/insects across the world and so people will argue that they can/can't kill you.
The Daddy long-legs spider, also called the Daddy long-legger, Granddaddy long-legs spider, cellar spider, vibrating spider, or house spider, is a true spider and is not a harvestman.
"Daddy longlegs" is a name that is used for several unrelated arthropods with extremely long and thin legs, including these spiders, the harvestmen and tipulid crane flies.
The Daddy long-legs spiders comprise the Pholcidae family, in the suborder Araneomorphae.
2006-10-11 05:22:26 · answer #2 · answered by Danno 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Daddy-long legs aren't actually spiders,they are a member of another family.It is true that they carry enough poison that can be fatal or can even kill a human,but the truth is their mouths aren't long enough to go through our skin(if it was then a human bitten by a daddy-long leg would die),for which they can't bite.And it doesn't have any other way to inject its poison,therefore it won't be able to kill a human.
2006-10-11 06:09:07 · answer #3 · answered by farhan ferdous 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no such thing as a daddy long legs spider. Daddy long legs are not spiders they are insects. They are poisonous, but I am not sure if they can kill a human.
2006-10-11 07:09:14 · answer #4 · answered by lilpeeps1 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Daddy longlegs" actually refers to a number of unrelated species: harvestmen, Pholcidae, and the crane fly.
The myth that any of these species is highly venomous (but supposedly unable to bite a human) is just that, a myth. The harvestman almost never bites anything despite its biological ability to, and is not venomous at all. The Pholcidae are only very mildly venomous. The crane fly consumes nectar though sucking, and has neither venom nor fangs.
2006-10-11 05:16:54 · answer #5 · answered by DavidK93 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Absoloutly not! They are not poisonous in any form, are too small to bite or suffocate you, cannot handle a gun or drive a car in a dangerous manner!!!
Sorry only being silly. The answer is still no, they cannot kill a human at all, by any means.
2006-10-11 05:18:58 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why are so many people using the word myth incorrectly. The word myth actually means that somewhere in time that myth was embedded with an real incident and the truth has been lost in time. That spider is not deadly to mankind so it is just a false statement period.................
2006-10-11 05:30:49 · answer #7 · answered by kilroymaster 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"daddy long legs" refers to a few different types of creature. one of which is very poisonous but cannot bite humans as our skin is too tough and their mouths too weak
2006-10-13 00:05:59 · answer #8 · answered by rappinsheep 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the harvestman spider is not a spider (an arachnid) as it only has one body segment and arachnids have 2 sections a thorax and abdomen
2006-10-12 07:08:39 · answer #9 · answered by Bryan C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
complete myth. Quite a funny one that was answered by the mythbusters last series. Check out
http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/mythbusters/index.shtml
Hope this helps
2006-10-11 05:19:08 · answer #10 · answered by moonlight_beast 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋