There are two different species of insects in Australia that are known as Daddy Long Legs.

Both are Arachnids, but only one is a spider.

The most common is from the family Pholcidae that belong to a group of about 12 Australian species known as “Tangle Web Spiders”. Logically, the group name comes from their tendency to construct irregular webs with no apparent pattern.

These spiders, also called Cellar Spiders, and are probably the most commonly seen spiders inside Australian homes. They are often found around humans in houses, garages and sheds. They can usually be found living in their webs in the corners of rooms of houses, and more often than not, in bathrooms.

They have two distinct parts to their bodies, separated by a narrow waist, eight eyes and eight long spindly legs.

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DID YOU KNOW?

• The average airspeed of the common housefly is 7.24 kilometres per hour. A housefly beats its wings about 20,000 times per minute.
• The animal responsible for the most human deaths worldwide is the mosquito.
• The animal with the largest brain in proportion to its size is the ant.
• The average bee can travel up to 17.7 kilometres per hour.
• House flies, on average, live for only two weeks.
• The life expectancy of a queen bee is 6 years, a worker bee wears out its wings within 6 months, and a drone survives just 8 weeks.
• Some spiders can travel up to 1. 88 kilometres per hour.
• The caterpillar has more than 2,000 muscles.
• The fastest insect on record that has been reliably measured is the Australian dragon fly, which has a top speed of around 57 km/h.

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