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Harvestman | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Harvestman

ArachnidaDamp leaf litter, woodland, caves, grassland and garden walls; often gathered in aggregations

Field profile

Harvestmen, order Opiliones, are arachnids with a single fused body capsule and, in many species, extremely long thin legs. More than 6,500 species are described. They are not spiders: they have no silk, no venom and no waist between body sections.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-11-04

Harvestman

The daddy longlegs myth fails on two counts

The claim that harvestmen have the most powerful venom of any animal but fangs too short to bite is repeated everywhere. Harvestmen have no venom glands at all, and they are not spiders, so the statement is wrong in both halves.

Read with evidence →