# How big would a daddy longlegs have to be to kill people? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263 "2003-11-25T21:54:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/1 "2003-11-25T21:54:33Z")
I have often heard that the daddy longlegs spider is one of the most poisonous, if not the most poisonous, animals on Earth, but that it’s harmless because its mouthparts are too small to penetrate human flesh. My wife is still unhappy about daddy longlegs because, as she says, “We’ve got some big ones around here.” So, how big WOULD a daddy longlegs have to be for it to be dangerous to people? Would it have to be scaled up so that its body is the size of a ping pong ball? A softball? A football? The Goodyear blimp? ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/2 "2003-11-25T21:57:12Z")
I have no idea but if all the ones living in my house decide to gang up, I’m dead meat (I hate killing things). ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/3 "2003-11-25T22:15:06Z")
An interesting titbit from [Tooter4Kids](http://www.tooter4kids.com/Spiders/facts.htm) > [@](#): > > As far as Dr Mike Gray (senior archeologist at the Australian Museum) knows, there is no evidence in the scientific literature to suggest that the venom of daddy-long-legs could harm humans. > > However daddy-long-legs kill and eat other spiders, including Redback Spiders whose venom CAN be fatal to humans. Perhaps this is the origin of the rumor that daddy-long-legs are the most venomous spiders in the world. It might be argued that if they can kill a deadly spider, they must be even more deadly themselves, but daddy-long-legs only need to be quicker to bite, not more venomous. Not the most reliable of sources, though, but still interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/4 "2003-11-25T22:16:09Z")
I’ve been told that it’s not really a spider at all. Of course, this information was from other little kids . . . ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/5 "2003-11-25T22:28:11Z")
And if a DLLS did get that big, how big a flyswatter would we need to squash it? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/6 "2003-11-25T22:31:43Z")
A more reliable source. [http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html](http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html) > [@](#): > > Daddy-longlegs Myth > Have you heard this one?: > > DADDY-LONGLEGS ARE ONE OF THE MOST POISONOUS SPIDERS BUT THEIR FANGS ARE TOO SHORT TO BITE HUMANS > > This tale has been lurking around for years. I have heard it repeatedly in the United States and even heard a schoolteacher misinforming her class at a museum in Brisbane, Australia. This is incorrect, but to clarify it, several points need to be explained first. > > Most folks who retell this tale have no idea that they are referring to two completely separate groups of animals: “daddy-longlegs” and “daddy-longlegs spiders”. In the animal class Arachnida, there are several lower level divisions called Orders. Scorpions are in the Order Scorpiones, spiders are in the Order Araneae, ticks and mites are in the Order Acari… [MORE] And, to cut to the chase: > [@](#): > > In summary > > For true daddy-long-legs, the opilionids, the myth is certainly false, and for the daddy-long-legs spiders it is certainly not based on known facts. So, tell Mrs. Captor to figure out which kind of “daddy-long-legs” spiders you’ve got around your house–ten to one she’s got nothing to worry about. And as for “how big would the venomous sort of daddy-long-legs have to be to kill people”, well, IF it were proved to have venom that was toxic to humans (which it hasn’t been, yet), and IF it were proved that its fangs were able to penetrate human skin (which it hasn’t been, yet), then I suppose it wouldn’t need to be much bigger than it already is. Other venomous spiders don’t need to be the size of a ping pong ball to kill people. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/7 "2003-11-25T22:38:04Z")
An insect scaled up to the size of a baseball would run into fundamental problems with breathing and keeping itself from collapsing in on itself (especially when molting). When you talk about volleyball size, you need some serious mutations to even envision a viable organism. And the size of a large dog? Fuhgeddaboutit. Once you’ve made that many changes, you can’t meaningfully call it an insect anymore. There was a GQ thread that contained a post where a roach was scaled up to be six-foot tall at the shoulder. The animal underwent major modifications and still couldn’t be seen as a viable lifeform. 'Sides, [snopes calls the whole thing bogus](http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/longlegs.htm). Quote happens: > [@](#): > > There is no reference to any pholcid spider biting a human and causing any detrimental reaction. If these spiders were indeed deadly poisonous but couldn’t bite humans, then the only way we would know that they are poisonous is by milking them and injecting the venom into humans. For a variety of reasons including Amnesty International and a humanitarian code of ethics, this research has never been done. Furthermore, there are no toxicological studies testing the lethality of pholcid venom on any mammalian system (this is usually done with mice). Therefore, no information is available on the likely toxic effects of their venom in humans, so the part of the myth about their being especially poisonous is just that: a myth. There is no scientific basis for the supposition that they are deadly poisonous and there is no reason to assume that it is true. So we don’t know, and there’s no reason to think it would be true. Unless someone steps up to the plate and accepts a few injections, we’ll never really be sure. ---
**Author:** ![LadyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@LadyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyMack)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/8 "2003-11-25T23:00:39Z")
They really smell terrible, when squished. The DLLS clan could sacrifice a few, wait for the human to fall to the ground barfing, then the rest could swarm in and kill by smothering. Coming soon to your local BlockBuster. ---
**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/9 "2003-11-25T23:19:30Z")
Actually a substantial increase in size would not be necessary to allow the DLL to become a killer of humans—it already is. Countless safety briefings at Ft. Stewart, GA held by A CO, 124 MI Bn included the DLL amongst the fauna of concern right up there with the eastern diamond back, cottonmouth and the alligator. Several species of mosquito, mutated by US Army issue insect “repellant,” and actually attracted to it, were also routinely mentioned during the springtime. Whereas the attacks of the snakes and alligator were fairly obvious and warranted only a passing word of caution, the Daddy Long Legs’ insidious bite ritual bore detailed description to wit: Due to its notably short fangs, the DLL is capable of delivering a fatal bite only through the cornea. To do this the spider situates itself upon the crown of the head of its victim, sidle down toward the leading edge of any headgear and swing down toward the face and eyes while holding fast with its rear legs. Once the venom was delivered, a brief though agonizing death invariably ensued. Soldiers were instructed to swat any DLL seen to be assuming an attack posture with a hard object. SNOPES, of course, debunks this myth using a smoke & mirrors argument that “nobody can really agree on what the DLL is—they must be thinking of the crane fly.” But seriously, the DLL could very easily cause heart failure in me just by situating itself in one of several areas of my body. No venom or increase in size necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/10 "2003-11-25T23:25:29Z")
OK, they’re not poisonous (that we know of) and the likelihood of their becoming huge mutant super spiders is very low (I knew that!). I was just thinking their mouthparts might not be very fang-arific so that they had trouble nibbling on us. I’ve seen other spiders that were daddly-longleg size that had very capable looking fangs, but daddy longlegs are basically a ball. It would have to be mouthpart design, and it’s credible to me that the pholcids might have mouthparts not well adapted to human sking piercing. We are safe for the moment, in any event. However, as a person who was once got a staple lodged in his nose when his brother fired a popgun at him, I feel I must be prepared for anything. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/11 "2003-11-26T00:07:20Z")
**Matchka** : Dig up a cite of the US Armed Forces calling the pholcid spider bite toxic and we’ll talk. Hell, dig up a reputable cite for the pholcid spider biting anyone and we’ll have something to talk about. Otherwise, I’d believe UC-Riverside (where my quote comes from) faster than I’d believe you. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/12 "2003-11-26T00:15:24Z")
Well, there’s always the double-sized year-end issue of _Nesweek_ to bring even the largest spider into line. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/13 "2003-11-26T00:18:04Z")
Well the giant evil robotic one from _Johnny Quest_ certainly had the capacity to kill people. Heck, a direct hit from a tank blast only brushed it back slightly. ---
**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/14 "2003-11-26T00:24:26Z")
**Derleth** the unit in question was a military intelligence unit, they tend not to document most of what they do, and certainly don’t put documents on the internet! But I was THERE, man! I sat in on those safety briefings while my platoon sargent, a slightly maniacal but highly decorated war veteran, gray beyond his years, fought back tears of horror and disgust as he recounted the MO of this creepy bug! Here was a man personally responsible for saving the lives of _millions_ of Iraqi civilians from starvation during the Gulf War, if his estimates are not doubted; who single-handedly led the devastating electronic warfare attack on the Elite Republican Guard, rendering their radio and guidance systems the artillaery beacons of their own destruction, so I’ve heard! He wouldn’t lie about that spider! He just _wouldn’t_! ---
**Author:** ![PlanMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2bfe46/32.png) [@PlanMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlanMan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/15 "2003-11-26T00:24:53Z")
**Matchka** ’s post sounds like the old timers at an Army base in the Deep South giving a hard time to the new kids from up nawth and from big cities. Besides, following the instructions to swat any DLL hanging from someone’s headgear, sounds like an invitation to a 3 Stooges routine, where one guy “saves” the guy being “attacked” by the DLL by bashing him in the face. Lotsa yucks for the Drill Sargents. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/16 "2003-11-26T00:29:36Z")
**Matchka** , I call whoosh on this one. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Matchka \* > \*\* Soldiers were instructed to swat any DLL seen to be assuming an attack posture with a hard object. > \*\* “attack posture”?!? Would that be the aforementioned “down toward the leading edge of any headgear and swing down toward the face and eyes while holding fast with its rear legs”? Uhh, yeah, I’d recommend swatting the spider hanging from your helmet in front of your face too… ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/17 "2003-11-26T00:30:53Z")
Damn. 2 posts too late. ---
**Author:** ![Typhoon\_777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Typhoon\_777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typhoon_777)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/18 "2003-11-26T00:36:26Z")
The creature you are referring to as the GDLL is not even a spider. And, it is called a “Harvestman”. It was given “Grand Daddy Longleg” as a nickname. Look up “Harvestman” on a search and you will find all you need to know about them. Also, they do not produce venom. They are harmless, and they emit a foul smell for protection. Here… read about them here. [http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/harvestman.htm](http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/harvestman.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/19 "2003-11-26T01:23:05Z")
My grandmother told me that when she was a little girl growing up in Texas (she was born in 1909), the story going around among the kids was that a bite on the genitals from a daddy long legs would turn a boy into a girl and vice versa. I’m not sure what was supposed to happen if you got bit twice. ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263/20 "2003-11-26T01:40:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*[ > Hell, dig up a reputable cite for the pholcid spider biting anyone and we’ll have something to talk about. > > \*\* Well, I’m not sure if you would consider me reliable or not, but I would like to go on record as having, my own personal self, been bitten by a Daddy Long Legs. I was about 12 at the time, it was sometime in the summer, and I had just come in and was just kind of standing in the hallway when _yeouuch_ there was what felt like a very sharp pinch on my arm. After jumping and yelling, and startling my father (who, btw, also remembers this incident) I looked down to see a DDL clinging to my arm. He quickly became but a smear on the floor. I seemed to have survived it, so the whole poison thing is apparently bogus, but at least that variety can sure as hell bite. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-would-a-daddy-longlegs-have-to-be-to-kill-people/215263.md?page=2)