(Untitled)

[wanttobeatree]

A SPIDER AND A DADDY LONG LEGS ARE HAVING A STARE DOWN ON MY WINDOWSILL.

WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME.

I CAN'T EVEN BE BOTHERED TO CATCH THEM IN A CUP AND CHUCK THEM OUT THE WINDOW ANYMORE /o\

ETA: OH MY GOD THE SPIDER KNOCKED ONE OF THE DADDY LONG LEGS' GODDAMN LEGS OFF AND NOW IT IS SAT ON ITS FACE EATING IT. WTF WTF WTF

Comments

[ashen_key]

...I got so confused. Over here, Daddy Long Legs ARE spiders!

And actually, I saw one have this epic battle against a red-back. It was epic. The Daddy Long Legs won, and nommed the red-back.

That said...

EW I AM SO SORRY TREE.

[smallcaps]

The problem is that there are three separate arthropods that are each called "daddy long legs". There's the Tipulidae family (crane flies) which is the most common UK meaning; Opiliones/Harvestmen, which is at least an arachnid but still not a spider; and Pholcidae (especially Pholcus phalangioides), which actually are spiders, but only Aussies and Kiwis care.

I really wanted to illustrate all those examples but I thought someone might actually kill me if I put pictures in here.

OOH OOH HANG ON WIKPEDIA COPASTA:

Pholcus phalangioides, the daddy-long-legs spider or cellar spider (also known as skull spider due to its cephalothorax looking like a human skull), is a spider of the family Pholcidae. Females have a body length of about 9 mm; males are slightly smaller. Its legs are about 5 or 6 times the length of its body (reaching up to 7 cm of leg span in females). Its habit of living on the ceilings of rooms, caves, garages or cellars gives rise to one of its common names. In Australian homes, they are considered beneficial because

[ashen_key]

but only Aussies and Kiwis care.

I AM Aussie. :P

And hunh, that's interesting re: poison. Then again, over here, we generally treat all spiders as poisonous. The odds work in our favour.

[smallcaps]

That's what I meant - I checked your profile (not that the line about the redback wasn't a big clue) and went, yep, actually talking about the spider then.

If you weren't Aussie I'd have given you the "no that's a Harvestman it is an arachnid not a spider" speech. :) Amazing how many people confuse that one.

[ashen_key]

Ah-hah! Clever *has a head full of fic* Yeah, talking about the spider. They are EVERY where in my house -_-

[smallcaps]

I find that most spiders and moths are solved by a judicious application of Jack Russell Terrier, repeat as necessary.

(Side effects may include headaches, sleep loss, weight gain, and incessant barking.)

[getyourguns]

OK SO I WENT TO THAT PAGE AND THERE ARE NO PICTURES OF WHAT I'VE ALWAYS KNOWN TO BE A DADDY LONG LEGS. WHAT EVEN IS THIS.

[smallcaps]

CONSPIRACY.