A Naif in the Forest by Darrell Berger

Wing Tips to Hiking Boots: Musings of a New, Full-Time Poconos Resident 

This one of over six thousand species of opiliones, or Daddy Longlegs. They are found everywhere but Antarctica. Since they have only one body segment and only one set of eyes, they are not spiders, but are anatomically closer to scorpions. This photo is the species that I have always called Daddy Longlegs, but some others around the world are quite different. Some have fangs or spin webs. Others do not. 

The male has much longer legs, which, contrary to common misinformation, do not grow back when lost.  They are very social creatures, and are often found gathering in groups of a thousand or more. They can live up to seven years, making some of them Granddaddy Longlegs, which they are also called. 

When I was a very small boy I was scared of spiders. My dad told me that Daddy Longlegs were not spiders and there was no reason to be afraid. This helped me to begin to look more closely at what was around me, and discriminate between what could hurt me and what only looked scary.

 Males valiantly guard eggs against all dangers, which may be how they got their name. There is an urban legend that says that these not-spiders are among the most venomous and dangerous arachnids in the world. As I understand, an “urban legend” is a euphemism for humbug, though I find that such does not confine itself to urban areas. 

The legend may have gotten started because some Daddy Longlegs are capable of killing Brown Recluse and Black Widow spiders. The false conclusion is that anything capable of killing such venomous spiders must itself be even more venomous. Not true. Longlegs are among the most harmless to humans of all the creatures in the forest.  Dad was right. 

Daddy Longlegs have sufficient fangs and venom to kill spiders, but the fangs are way too small to break human skin and even so, the venom is similarly weak. Somehow it is reassuring to know that it is not necessary to be dangerous to humans in order to thwart creatures that are.