I looked it up last time around, and although I've never seen one apparently there are plenty of Opiliones here, but the ones we call daddy longlegs are Pholcus phalangioides, the spiders that live inside (and eat our less cuddly spiders). They aren't native to Australia, they were accidentally introduced from Europe.

I wouldn't personally describe either Opiliones or Crane fly as daddy longlegs, only the daddy longlegs spiders.

Reference - https://australianmuseum.net.au/daddy-long-legs-spider

Well this is confusing, here in the UK we call it a Harvestmen and a Daddy Longlegs is a Crane fly.

Someone needs to get to the bottom of this! Are they are aren't they? I NEED TO KNOW!!

(edit)
Seems it depends on what you call a Daddy Longleg. "There is one "daddy-longlegs" that is a spider, and a couple of thousand species that are not spiders."
http://www.burkemuseum.org/blog/myth-daddy-longlegs-kind-spider

I thought the exact same thing the first time I saw a House Centipede (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutigera_coleoptrata).
Even worse (for them) when scared they stand up halfway and run really-fucking-fast, holding their forelegs out like the wickedest looking alien you would never want to see running across your floor.
Unfortunately (for them) they only look scary. They're about as harmless as your average 'daddy-longleg' spider, and are good to have in the home as they eat other insects that humans consider more pest-like.

Two things to do with the Daddy Longlegs misconception. First of all, the name "Daddy Longlegs" can refer to harvestmen (arachnids, not spiders), but also frequently refers to cellar spiders (spiders). Second of all, no the cellar spider is not poisonous. NO spider is poisonous, they are however all venomous (man that irks me when people get that wrong). In the case of the cellar spider the venom has very very little affect on humans.

In Australia it's Pholcus phalangioides and if you call him cellar spider, nobody will know who you mean.
>> ^xxovercastxx:

There are three different critters known as "daddy longlegs".
In the US/Canada, we generally mean the harvestman. The British call the crane fly by this name.
I've no idea where it refers to the cellar spider. Australia, maybe? Goofy name in all cases.

There are three different critters known as "daddy longlegs".

In the US/Canada, we generally mean the harvestman. The British call the crane fly by this name.

I've no idea where it refers to the cellar spider. Australia, maybe? Goofy name in all cases.

HARVESTMEN
(Daddy Longlegs)
HARVESTMEN AREN'T SPIDERS

THE NAME
"HARVESTMAN"

Harvestmen are called harvestmen because they're most conspicuous in the fall, at harvest time!

If you look at the body of a Daddy-longlegs with your magnifying glass, you'll see why it's not a spider. First of all, instead of its body consisting of two parts, the cephalothorax and the abdomen, as with spiders, there's just one thing. A Daddy Longlegs has its head, thorax, and abdomen all fused together. Second, instead of the spider's usual eight eyes, a Daddy Longlegs just possesses two.
-http://www.backyardnature.net/longlegs.htm

Fuck! I was fapping when I saw this orgy. Then the giant stick monster came along and broke up the party. Way to kill my buzz, dude.


--edit--

>> ^entr0py:
Why, you could scoop up that whole pile and carry them around in your pocket without any worries.

I would be worried about the messy spider goo leaking out of my pocket, and how in the hell I was going to get the mass of legs and guts out of my pocket in the wash. Ga-ross!

>> ^L0cky:

I literaly can't watch this
The small thumb isn't very comprehensible but it's enough to set my imagination unwillingly on fire.
/me starts feeling paranoid and itchy


The funny thing is these little guys are some of the most harmless anthropoids; they couldn't even break your skin if they wanted to. Why, you could scoop up that whole pile and carry them around in your pocket without any worries.

Opilionophobia isn't a word and opiliones are arachnids even though they're not spiders, so "arachnophobia" was an adequate tag.

Outside North America "daddy longlegs" usually refers to other critters if any of you damn foreigners are wondering about the (mis)use of the term.

>> ^RadHazG:

Read through most of the wiki, didn't see anything as to WHY in the hell they're doing this?


body heat?

Your video, Mass of Daddy Longlegs spiders clumping in a tree, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Chaucer's link is the US Daddy Longlegs. An arachnid but not a spider and doesn't build a web.

My god! Who knew there were so many different 'things' (not all even spiders) that people called daddy longlegs!

I'm glad I posted this just for the realization of that!

Also, is it some sort of badge of honour to be downvoted by ant? I really fail to see how this could be offensive to anyone, but hey... there you go.