Every Harvestman does not have fangs, are not venomous and do not bite. Their mandibles are far too small for humans to feel any kind of sensation should they even try.
Their long legs do more for them than help them travel. The second pair of legs act like antennae and are very sensitive to touch. This second pair of legs also helps a Harvestman capture prey, as well as smell surroundings and even breathe (through holes on their legs called spiracles). If the second pair of legs are lost, the Harvestman will die.
Harvestman are well camouflaged in their habitat and some species have the ability to spray a pungent scent from a gland between their first pairs of legs. Perhaps the most bewildering form of defense against a predator is self-amputation. A Harvestman will remove one of its own legs (not one from the critical second pair, however) to distract a predator. The removed leg can twitch for up to an hour, allowing the Harvestman time to escape. Sadly, the leg cannot grow back so it is a costly form of self-protection.
Males actually have a penis that is used to deposit sperm. Females will then deposit fertilized eggs with an ovipositor in deep moss, moist soil or rotten wood. Individual adults will huddle together on cold autumn nights to keep warm.
They are nocturnal and are usually seen in dark places in a house (corners, cellars, etc.). Adults eat insects, worms and snails and even try to make a meal from any dead prey they encounter.
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