Huge Pile of Daddy Long Legs Just Ruined Your Breakfast [Video]

When YouTuber happysmurfday was traveling in Nogales, Arizona, he spotted strange hairy clusters on the trees and in the grass. When he investigated and poked one with a stick — well, we hope you didn’t have anything too heavy for breakfast this morning.

Video below:

Still there? (We won’t judge you if you aren’t, but then you wouldn’t be reading this sentence.) Henderson State University explains the daddy long legs’ [aka harvestmen’s] clustering behavior:

“Harvestmen often will aggregate into groups in which the legs seem to be twined together and the bodies close to each other. When disturbed, a single harvestman typically pushes its body up and down in a slow, vibrating motion. The large groups will perform the same behavior if disturbed, so the pulsating mass of harvestmen may be an even greater deterrent to potential predators. Furthermore, the defensive chemicals produced by a mass may be collectively more effective, so grouping might promote greater security while the aggregation rests or hibernates.”

(via BuzzFeed, Boing Boing)

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Robert Quigley