Harvestmen are odd-looking arachnids that people call "daddy longlegs." They definitely deserve their name, as their legs can be 12 times the length of their bodies! Harvestmen crawl along almost any type of terrain in search of food, and have several tricks they use when an enemy tries to turn them into a meal.
Hello, Up There: Harvestmen look like spiders on stilts. Their bodies are never more than an inch long, but their legs reach a length of four, eight or even 12 inches, which hoist the arachnid's small bodies high off the ground.
Finger Food: Unlike spiders, these arachnids don't have fangs or venom, but have flexible palps instead. These can be short and spiky or long and sharp, and harvestmen can use them almost like hands to stab and grab prey or plants, then lift the food to their mouths.
Reaping the Wrath[]
A tropical harvestman has huge palps covered with spikes.
Harvestmen might look like easy meals to predators, but these arachnids can leave attackers stunned-literally. Some species have glands on their sides that squirt burning fluids at enemies, distracting them long enough to let the harvestman escape. A few are known to grab bits of their own poop and other body fluids in their palps and fling them at predators, much to the same effect. Many harvestmen even have sharp spikes on their bodies that stab into enemies that try to bite them.
Not Fussy: Though harvestmen look like spiders, their diet is much more varied. These creatures eat a lot of veggies, from plant leaves to fungi, along with the usual assortment of invertebrates, including other harvestmen.
Escargot Surprise: Female harvestmen find clever nests when they need to lay their eggs. If they see a snail when they're ready to let go of their eggs, they sometimes eat the snail's body then lay their eggs in the empty shell.
Death From Above[]
- Creeping through the forest on its long legs, a hungry harvestman spots a younger member of its own species on a nearby leaf. The adult creeps up on the youngster until standing directly above it on nearly invisible legs.
- Without warning, the young harvestman is nearly crushed as the adult drops its body onto the victim. The young one is still alive when the adult begins to shred it to pieces with its long, sharp palps.