The daddy long legs, or grandaddy long legs, depending on your tastes, is a perplexing creature, not least because there isn’t a great consensus on what one is. Several species have been given the nickname that reads like the naming scientist was feeling frisky that day, but despite all the confusion, one curious question has spread far and wide: are daddy long legs poisonous?
The answer is no, daddy long legs are not poisonous, and the background to the urban legend takes us on a journey of confused classifications and the difference between venomous and poisonous.
What are daddy long legs?
Depending on who you speak to, a (grand) daddy long legs can be anything from harvestmen, to long-legged spiders, and craneflies. According to the Burke Museum’s spider myths series, the ranging definitions of daddy long legs include one true spider, Pholcus phalangioides, and a few thousand species that aren’t spiders, including harvestmen and crane flies.
We didn’t need to demonstrate crane flies as daddy long legs on such a phallic mushroom, but it felt right.
Image credit: Photodigitaal.nl / Shutterstock.com
So, choose your poison when it comes to daddy long legs definitions, and on that note…
Poisonous Vs Venomous
Venomous creatures inject their toxin into you because it requires an active delivery system. It could be from the stinger of an insect, or the fangs of a venomous snake.
Lots of things can be classed as poisons but you have to physically ingest the toxin present in the poison for it to affect you. It is passively absorbed through ingestion, inhalation, or by making contact with skin.
So…
This goofy fella is a harvestmen, an order of arachnids known as Opiliones.
Image credit: Warut Prathaksithorn / Shutterstock.com
Are daddy long legs poisonous?
No, daddy long legs are not poisonous. The idea comes from a widespread urban legend that daddy long legs pack a record-breaking toxin potent enough to kill us, but they don’t have strong enough fangs to bite.
Were this true, the delivery of the toxin through a bite – however epically they allegedly fail – would put them in the venomous camp, which is strike one for the “poisonous” idea. Strike two is that it also has no basis in fact.
This sassy lady is Pholcus phalangioides, aka, mummy moderate venom.
Image credit: Triwidana / Shutterstock.com
Of our three key daddy long leg candidates – harvestmen, crane flies, and Pholcus phalangioides, the spider – only the spider has venom. However, it’s not considered medically relevant for human health, and the venom certainly isn’t a record-breaker among spiders.
And if you’re thinking of eating a daddy long legs, we suggest you go sit in the shade for a bit. These leggy critters aren’t your daddy, and they’re not a snack.
Source Link: Are Daddy Long Legs Poisonous?
