A new video shows a man reaching into a hole in the rock and pulling out a dark clump.
It quickly becomes evident that the clump is in fact hundreds of small arachnids, which start to scatter as children scream in the background. The spiders in the video fall under the “daddy longlegs” designation, which refers to the 6,000 species of arachnids that fall into the Opoliones order.
Most daddy longlegs, also known as harvestman, are omnivorous and feed on small insects, mites, snails, and vegetable matter. YouTube user Wheatbreat, who posted the video, says there was plenty more spiders in the hole. “I never even touched the back of the hole- endless spider supply!” he said.
The creatures often clump together in dark spaces as a form of protection.
According to the University of Michigan, Opiliones “have small round bodies with eight very long, very thin legs.”
“Like ticks and mites, harvestmen have evolved a tight connection between the two body sections that other Arachnids have. Their whole body is one round unit. On either side of their mouth they have short appendages called pedipalps that they use to hold food while they chew it,” it adds.
