Harvestman (“Daddy Longlegs”)
This eight-legged arachnid is NOT technically a spider. It is more closely related to a scorpion.
It is a MYTH that they are the most venomous spider in the world, but with fangs too weak to bite you. The truth is that they are NOT venomous, they don’t even have fangs. This rumor may have been started by confusion with the poisonous cellar spider, which is also referred to in Australia as “daddy longlegs”
Their second pair of legs are very sensitive and act like antennae. It helps them capture prey, smell their surroundings, and even breathe through holes in their legs called spiracles.
Their body is completely fused and round, not segmented like other arachnids.
They have been around for at least 400 million years (much older than dinosaurs)!
They are found on every continent in the world except Antarctica.