harvestman-man's Identifications

Article - has more info

this is also called "Daddy long legs"

Why the name?
The name Harvestmen comes from their being seen in late summer and fall at harvest time

Harvestmen is not a spider!
Harvestmen are members of the class Arachnida, which also includes spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks. But they are not spiders, similar to the way that butterflies are insects, but they are not beetles.

Cannot web like a spider too
Harvestmen have no venom glands or silk glands (they do not spin webs or build nests). Harvestmen do have a pair of scent glands that secrete a peculiar smelling fluid when disturbed. Most importantly, Harvestmen pose absolutely no danger to humans.

Single pair of eyes
Like humans, Harvestmen have only one pair of eyes. Their two eyes are mounted on top of their head, which looks like a small pedestal above their torso. Each eye looks somewhat outward, oriented sideways. These eyes only scan above their body and can detect a moving object several feet away. Like all arachnids, Harvestmen do have 4 pairs of legs

Defenses

1. One is that the Harvestmen�s legs are easily detached from its body (as when a lizard's tail breaks off), serving as a means of protection from predators. Because they are all leg, a predator will likely grab onto a longer one instead of the juicy middle leg. A leg easily becomes detached, further confusing its prey. The detached leg can continue twitching movements for some time (anywhere from one minute to an hour)�distracting a predator while the harvestman escapes.
2. When disturbed, a pair of scent glands (outside ducts near the base of the first pair of legs) produces two secretions. One is a milky liquid with a foul odor. Not only does a predator smell this rank fluid, but gives it warning that Harvestmen must taste terrible. The second secretion is a clear one to lay a trail, which may be followed by other Harvestmen.

Interesting
In the northern part of the United States, most Harvestmen die in the fall after eggs are laid, but in southern states, they hide under organic matter through the winter.

Eating habits
Harvestmen are considered to be predators and scavengers and eat a wide variety of food, preferring insects and other arthropods (dead or alive), as well as vegetable matter and juices. Adults usually begin foraging at twilight. They're generally carnivorous, feeding on live invertebrate prey. A harvestman will eat little ants on a crumb of bread and then eat part of the crumb. Food is never a problem, ranging from aphids, beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, flies, mites, small slugs, snails and spiders, to fecal matter and fungi. Watch one eat and notice how after each meal it cleans each leg, drawing them, one at a time through its jaws.