Spider vs Harvestman for Kids
A harvestman can have eight legs and look spider-like, but it is not a spider. Spiders belong to order Araneae; harvestmen belong to order Opiliones. Both are arachnids, and both groups contain many different species. The quickest clue is the body: a spider has two obvious sections joined by a narrow pedicel, while a harvestman’s sections meet broadly and usually look like one oval. Spiders make silk and nearly all have venom; harvestmen make neither and use scent-gland chemistry instead.
Spider
- Type: Silk-Producing Predatory Arachnid
- Group: Living order Araneae, a highly diverse arachnid group with tens of thousands of species; traits are stated as typical or order-wide rather than one imaginary average spider
- Known for: Two clearly separated main body sections, narrow waist-like pedicel, fanged chelicerae, venom in nearly all lineages, abdominal silk glands, spinnerets, draglines, egg sacs, prey-capture webs in some species, and usually several pairs of eyes
- Diet: Mostly carnivore feeding on insects and other small animals; a few species supplement the diet with nectar, pollen, or plant material
- Special skill: Producing multiple specialised silks for safety lines, shelters, egg sacs, prey wrapping, dispersal, and webs, often combined with venom delivered through movable fangs
Harvestman
- Type: Compact-Bodied Scent-Gland Arachnid
- Group: Living order Opiliones, another highly diverse arachnid group; long-legged harvestmen are familiar, but some species are short-legged, armoured, tiny, or blind
- Known for: Broadly joined body regions that look like one oval, one usual eye pair on a small turret, no silk glands, no venom glands, tiny pincer-like chelicerae, extremely long sensory second legs in many species, scent glands, leg shedding, scavenging, and large resting groups in some species
- Diet: Flexible omnivore, scavenger, and predator eating small invertebrates, fungi, plant matter, animal remains, and other solid food particles
- Special skill: Releasing complex defensive chemicals from paired scent glands; in some gregarious species the same odour also warns neighbours and rapidly disperses an aggregation
Quick Answer
Quick answer: Spiders and harvestmen are different arachnid orders. A typical spider has two clearly separated body sections, several pairs of eyes, fangs linked to venom glands in nearly all species, and spinnerets that make silk. A harvestman usually looks like one compact oval on eight legs, commonly has one pair of eyes, lacks silk and venom glands, and feeds with small pincer-like mouthparts. Many harvestmen use defensive scent chemicals, and some gather in large resting groups.
Spider vs Harvestman: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Spider | Harvestman |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific group | Order Araneae | Order Opiliones |
| Main body outline | Two obvious sections joined by a narrow pedicel | Two regions broadly joined, usually appearing as one oval |
| Eyes | Often eight, but species may have fewer or none | Usually one pair on an eye turret; some cave species are blind |
| Silk | All spiders make silk, though not all build prey-catching webs | No silk glands or spinnerets; never builds a true web |
| Venom and fangs | Nearly all have fang-bearing chelicerae and venom glands | No venom glands or spider fangs; small pincer-like chelicerae |
| Feeding | Mostly captures prey and takes liquefied food | Predates, scavenges, and can swallow small solid particles |
| Typical legs | Length and build vary; legs attach to the front body section | Often extremely long; second pair commonly acts as sensory feelers |
| Defence | Silk retreats, escape, camouflage, threat displays, bites, or venom | Scent chemicals, leg shedding in some groups, freezing, bobbing, pinching, or escape |
| Mating | Male transfers sperm indirectly with modified pedipalps | Most mate directly using a penis and female ovipositor |
| Standout clue | Distinct narrow waist plus spinnerets | Compact oval body, eye turret, and no web |
How Are Spider and Harvestman Alike?
- Both are living arachnids with eight walking legs as adults, chelicerae near the mouth, pedipalps, and no wings or antennae.
- Both have a front body region bearing the eyes, mouthparts, pedipalps, and legs, plus an abdominal rear region.
- Both live mainly on land and are important parts of food webs as predators, scavengers, prey, or combinations of these roles.
- Both can lose a leg while escaping, use camouflage or stillness, and depend strongly on touch and chemical senses.
- Both lay eggs and grow by molting through juvenile stages before becoming reproductive adults.
How Are Spider and Harvestman Different?
- A spider’s two body regions are linked by a narrow pedicel, while a harvestman’s broadly joined regions usually look like one compact body.
- Spiders produce silk throughout life, while harvestmen have no silk glands and cannot spin webs or egg sacs.
- Nearly all spiders have venom glands opening through fang-like chelicerae, while harvestmen have neither venom glands nor spider fangs.
- Spiders commonly have several pairs of eyes, while most harvestmen have one pair raised on a small eye turret.
- Most spiders take liquefied prey through a narrow mouth, while harvestmen can chew and swallow small solid pieces of animal, fungus, and plant food.
Spider vs Harvestman Showdown
Adaptation showdown: Size is a Tie because both orders range from tiny species to much larger bodies and leg spans, so one order-wide champion would be misleading. Speed is a Tie because sprinting hunters, web sitters, long-legged walkers, and armoured harvestmen perform different tasks. Spider wins strength only for specialised prey handling: a typical spider combines gripping legs, fang-bearing chelicerae, venom, and silk, while harvestmen handle smaller food with pincers and sometimes armoured pedipalps. Stealth is a Tie because both orders include superbly camouflaged and conspicuous species. Social behaviour is a Tie because most members are solitary but both orders include aggregations, maternal care, and uncommon cooperation. Swimming is a Tie because most avoid water, although a few spiders and harvestmen tolerate or enter it. Harvestman wins weirdest for turning paired scent glands into chemical defence and, in some grouped species, an alarm system that can make a whole resting aggregation disperse.
Fun Spider vs Harvestman Facts
Eight Legs Do Not Automatically Mean Spider
Arachnida contains spiders, harvestmen, scorpions, mites, ticks, and several other orders. Spiders are Araneae and harvestmen are Opiliones, lineages separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution.
A Harvestman Does Not Have One True Body Segment
Its prosoma and segmented opisthosoma are real regions, but they meet across a broad connection. From above, their boundaries can be difficult to see, creating the familiar single-oval appearance unlike a spider’s narrow pedicel.
The Venomous Daddy-Longlegs Story Is False
Harvestmen have no venom glands and no spider-style fangs. The name daddy longlegs can also mean a long-legged cellar spider or a crane fly, which helps the myth spread between completely different animals.
Spider Silk Is a Toolkit, Not Just a Web
Every spider produces silk, but many do not build prey-catching webs. Silk can become a safety line, shelter, egg sac, prey wrapper, mating signal, ballooning thread, or underwater air-holding structure depending on the species.
Harvestman Perfume Can Become an Alarm
All harvestmen possess paired scent glands, though their chemicals and use vary. In one gregarious species, researchers found that its secretion caused most tested groups to scatter, showing that a defensive odour can also carry alarm information.
Spider vs Harvestman Quiz
- Are harvestmen spiders? Answer: No. Harvestmen belong to order Opiliones; spiders belong to order Araneae.
- Which animal makes silk? Answer: The spider.
- Do harvestmen have venom glands? Answer: No.
- How many eyes does a typical harvestman have? Answer: One pair, although some species have reduced eyes or none.
- What do harvestmen use for chemical defence? Answer: Paired scent glands.
Spider vs Harvestman FAQ
Is a harvestman a spider?
No. Both are arachnids, but spiders are Araneae and harvestmen are Opiliones, with different body joins, mouthparts, silk, venom, and reproduction.
Are harvestmen dangerously venomous?
No. Harvestmen have no venom glands and no spider-style fangs. Their small chelicerae handle food and may only pinch in unusual close contact.
Can a harvestman spin a web?
No. It has no silk glands or spinnerets. Long-legged cellar spiders are true spiders and can build webs, but they are not harvestmen.
Why does a harvestman look like it has one body part?
Its front and rear regions connect broadly, so their boundary is less obvious than the narrow waist-like pedicel of a spider.
Do all spiders build webs to catch prey?
No. All spiders make silk, but many hunt by running, jumping, ambushing, or waiting outside a prey-catching web.
Animal Words to Know
- Araneae: The arachnid order containing all true spiders.
- Opiliones: The arachnid order containing harvestmen.
- Pedicel: The narrow flexible connection between a spider’s front body region and abdomen.
- Spinneret: A movable silk-releasing organ near the rear of a spider’s abdomen.
- Scent gland: A gland that releases chemical secretions used mainly for defence and sometimes communication in harvestmen.
Build Two Arachnid Anatomy Models
Build Two Arachnid Anatomy Models
Build two enlarged arachnid models from clay and pipe cleaners. Give the spider a front section, separate abdomen, narrow pedicel, eight legs, pedipalps, several eye dots, fangs, and spinnerets with silk cards showing a dragline, egg sac, and web. Give the harvestman a broadly joined oval body, eight legs with an extra-long sensory second pair, one eye pair on a turret, small pincers, scent-gland dots, and no silk. Add diet cards and sort each clue under Shared Arachnid, Spider Only, or Harvestman Only.
Meet Each Animal
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Spider Fact Highlight
From the full animal facts pageHarvestman Fact Highlight
From the full animal facts pageMore Animal Comparisons
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