Weberknecht: The Harvestman

Also known as Opiliones, harvestmen are an order of arachnid with over 6,500 distinct species, many of which are part of the group known colloquially as “daddy longlegs” or “granddaddy longlegs.” They are also often called “shepherd spiders.” Despite this, they are actually not spiders, although they are similar in many respects at first glance. Various species of Opiliones live on every continent of the planet except Antarctica.

According to urban legend, harvestmen are the most venemous spiders on earth, but are unable to bite humans due to the shape and extremely small size of their mouths. In actuality, no known species of harvestmen possess venom glands. Furthermore, their “fangs” are actually grasping claws, and are too weak to pierce human skin.

Harvestmen are an incredibly old species, and have changed little in the last 165 million years or so.