Poisonous Daddy Long Legs

Is the daddy longlegs the world's most poisonous animal?

Myth or fact? A daddy longlegs has deadly venom, but cannot bite humans because its fangs are too short to penetrate the skin. Here's your answer.

A longstanding urban legend holds that daddy long legs spiders are poisonous, but they are not dangerous to humans because their fangs are too short to penetrate human skin.

A common myth holds that daddy longlegs are extremely venomous, but that their fangs can't penetrate human skin. Is it true?

The myth goes, the daddy-longlegs has the world's most powerful venom, but fortunately its jaws (fangs) are so small that it can't bite you.

Urban legends have a way of spreading and persisting long after science disproves them. Most Americans have heard and probably believe that daddy-longlegs are the most poisonous spiders in the world, but that their fangs are too small to penetrate human skin. This is a myth.

One fateful day a friend told me that daddy longlegs are the most venomous spider on earth but they can’t bite people because their fangs are too short. Could this be true?

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".

Perhaps you should take a wide berth next time you see one dangling above your bed.