Daddy Long-legs are NOT Spiders. Really.

Got another call about an animal. This time it was a guy that had a bet with some other people that a Daddy Long-legs is not a spider. (His friends are obviously not serious gambler-types making bets about things like this). But I told him he is brilliant and correct (maybe I didn't say brilliant, but I did say he is right). I like when I can make someone happy that way, it is much easier than telling someone I think he is wrong and then he gets highly offended and takes it to the "nth" degree (remember Joe the Physicist?)

There are several misconceptions about the little Daddy Long-legs. Most people think they are spiders. Many believe that they have tiny fangs full of extremely dangerous poison, so "thank goodness the fangs are too small to break skin and inject that highly toxic, people-killing serum". Both beliefs are malarkey.

Daddy Long-legs are actually more correctly called Harvestmen. They are not spiders, nor are they insects. They are Arthropods like insects, and are in the same Arthropod group as spiders (Arachnida), but they aren't spiders either. Whereas insects have three body parts (head, thorax and abdomen) and spiders have two (head and cephalothorax), Harvestmen have only one. It is a fused section where their eight legs are attached.

Their beautiful, long legs from where they get their common name (sometimes 30x longer than their body) each have 7 segments and can regrow if broken off. This may be a defense when a predator handles them, but it isn't a preferred event. They spend a lot of time caring for those legs, including copious amounts of time cleaning them. If you look closely, it might appear they have more than eight legs, but they actually have two jaws and two other sensing, food-capturing/holding appendages (called pedipalps). Their legs are really important, not just for getting them from place to place, but the second pair serves as ears, nose, tongue, and perhaps even as supplementary "eyes." The legs are full of nerves and thousands of tiny sense organs. So even though they CAN grow legs back, if they lose the "critical" second ones or more than one, it just may do them in, so be gentle with them if you must remove them from your home (although why would you??)

As for food, Harvestmen aren't strictly carnivores like spiders, but like spiders they can remove harmful insects and also help "clean up" our Earth. They have a varied diet of mostly decomposing plant and animal matter and also living things like fungus and plant sap. They are also known to prey on live insects, mites, slugs, spiders and even bird droppings. Who knew something would eat bird droppings?!

The guys are usually smaller than the ladies, although they have longer legs. They mate in spring and summer and the females lay eggs in wood that overwinter before they hatch out. One year is the typical lifespan of this fascinating, useful and non-dangerous animal.

TJ- Our African Gray Parrot

TJ came to us on a lark. OK, that was uncalled for. But we got a great bird via a fly-by-night comment from our veterinarian. OK, really, I'm done.

TJ is our new African Gray Parrot, we received him a few months ago from an elderly woman that loved him but could no longer care for him like he needs. He is a fairly young (7 years old, they live to be up to 70) African Gray with a personality that only young children can rival. He's temperamental and smart and picky. He is picky about food, temperamental about who he likes and/or wants to bite, and smart enough to not "perform" unless he wants to.

He only eats certain foods and even the ones he seems to love only when he FEELS like it. Generally he's a meat and potatoes kind of a guy with a smattering of fruits and nuts (mmm, apples and almonds!) and crackers (especially goldfish) in there for good measure. And he likes sweets like cookies, but no chocolate (not good for him) and dum dums, but not all flavors. I believe grape is his favorite. TJ loves our office manager Cathy, dislikes most men (except our Friday volunteer/philosopher, John) and is lukewarm to just about everyone else. Some days he will let people touch him, other days, he bites. Hard.

African Grays can talk. Some know a lot of words, others seemingly few. TJ is somewhere inbetween, but he never talks unless he wants to. He's consistent with "See ya later" and "No bite" and "What?", many other words he mutters under his breath when you walk away. He makes a fascinating myriad of non-word sounds including a "truck backing up", what I can only describe as "building a railroad", as well as a darn good "drop of water" sound. He can also imitate lots of other species of birds; some days you'd think we were in the jungle, others in our own backyard. He whistles "Yoo Hoo" when Cathy leaves the room for any reason. When he likes music that is playing, he dances. When he wants to be annoying, he screeches. There are only two places he is quiet- his swing (I think because he hates it and is kind of freaked out there) and on Cathy's shoulder (because he LOVES her).

He is such a fun companion to have around and I am glad we were able to give him a new home. African Grays need a lot of attention and are not good in homes where people aren't there a lot or where people aren't willing to give them what they need. They have the intelligence of a 5-6 year old human and need to be stimulated. We are working with TJ to get him to be more personable and comfortable. When you stop up at Tanglewood, visit our gift shop, where TJ will likely be perched waiting for someone new to talk to, but don't pet him, did I mention he's temperamental?