A daddy longlegs is a small creature with a tiny body and extremely long, thin legs that make it look like it's walking on stilts. The name fits perfectly: those spindly legs can be many times longer than the body itself, sometimes spanning several inches even though the body is barely the size of a pinhead.

Here's where it gets interesting: people use this name for different animals. In North America, daddy longlegs usually refers to an arachnid (related to spiders) called a harvestman, which isn't actually a spider at all. It has one main body segment instead of two, and it doesn't produce silk or venom. In other places, especially Britain, people sometimes call certain long-legged spiders daddy longlegs.

To add to the confusion, some people also call crane flies (flying insects with long, dangly legs) daddy longlegs.

You'll often find harvestmen crawling around gardens, basements, or woodpiles. Despite their spider-like appearance, they're harmless and can be helpful, eating small insects and decomposing plant matter.