Daddy Long Legs

The well-named Daddy Long Legs spider is a common, well-known spider because it likes to live with us – in our homes, sheds, cars, etc.

There was a myth that its venom was powerful enough to kill a human if only the spider could get its fangs to penetrate our skin. Not so. The myth probably arose from the fact that Daddy Long Legs can kill Red Back spiders, a spider that can harm humans with its bite, therefore the Daddy Long Legs venom must be as powerful or more powerful than Red Back venom. In fact the Daddy Long Legs uses a different technique to kill and eat Red Backs – its long legs enable it from a distance to tangle the Red Back in a web. Once restrained, the Daddy Long Legs can approach and bite the Red Back multiple times to finally render it deceased! Ain’t the spider world grand?

There are around 60 species of ‘Daddy Long Legs’ spiders in Australia, some are endemic, many have been introduced, and the number of described species is being enlarged as more study is done.

Daddy Long Legs, Pholcid sp, construct a messy, irregular-shaped web in which they hang upside down waiting for their prey. Usually, they choose an undisturbed corner of our homes, such as high corners of the ceiling, roof spaces or attics, cellars (sometimes called Cellar Spiders).

They eat insects and sometimes invade the web of other spiders to eat their captured prey. They are known to eat Red Backs, Huntsman and House Spiders.

All hail, Daddy Long Legs, welcome in my place!

PS: there are plenty of videos and articles online about this spider – worth exploring.