Daddy Long Legs Garden Spiders 3
Furthermore, there are no toxicological
studies testing the lethality of Daddy Long
Legs garden spider venom on any mammal.
Therefore, no information is available on
the possible toxic effects of their venom
in people, so the part of the myth about
their being especially poisonous is just
that: a myth. There is no scientific basis
for the idea that they are deadly
poisonous and there is no reason to assume
that it is possible. 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. The Daddy
Longlegs is not a true spider in that it
cannot make silk and does not have fangs
or venom glands. Daddy Longlegs garden spiders
have long skinny legs with flexible claw-like
didgits. Daddy Longlegs garden spiders can
pinch but rarely penetrate the skin of a
person. They have scent glands on the front
part of their bodies that can give-off a
bad-smelling fluid. This stinky fluid is
used as a defense mechanism to keep enemies
away. Some people might have a reaction
to the fluid but Daddy Longlegs garden spiders
are not considered dangerous to people.
Daddy Longlegs are usually found in corners,
eaves or cellars. They are very common
and are found in most Ameican homes. Because
they eat insects and some other spiders,
they are considered benign. In summary
For true daddy-long-legs garden spiders,
the opilionids, the myth is absolutely false,
and for the daddy-long-legs garden spiders
it is certainly not based on known facts.
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