Interesting fats.

[hansgruber]

Mythbusters is ace. I like Buster

[Simon Pieman]

Think the daddy long legs one is just an urban myth. Wikipedia backs me up although I haven't personally checked the sources.

There is an urban legend stating that Daddy long-legs spiders have the most potent venom of any spider, but that their chelicera (fangs) are either too small or too weak to puncture human skin; the same legend is also repeated of the harvestman, also called "Daddy Longlegs" in some locales. Indeed, pholcid spiders do have a short fang structure (called uncate). However, brown recluse spiders also have uncate fang structure, but are able to deliver potentially fatal bites. Either pholcid venom is not toxic to humans or there is a musculature difference between the two arachnids, with recluses, being hunting spiders, possessing stronger muscles for fang penetration.

Pholcid venom has never been scientifically tested on mammals. This would normally require milking the spiders and injecting the venom into humans or mice. In any case, there are no known cases of a pholcid spider ever biting a human and causing any serious effects.

In 2004 the Discovery Channel show MythBusters set out to test the daddy long-legs myth (season 1, episode 13 "Buried in Concrete"). After measuring the spider's fangs at approximately 0.25 mm (average human skin thickness is about 0.10 mm) the show's host was apparently bitten, although the bite produced little more than a mild short-lived burning sensation. [3] This appears to confirm the suspicion that pholcids can penetrate human skin, but that their venom is practically harmless to humans. Additionally, recent research has shown that pholcid venom is actually relatively weak in its effects on insects as well. [4]

I think Walrus was referring to the Crane Fly anyway, because a spider is not an insect. But again it's a myth.

[Whits]

It's impossible to lick your elbow

And 65% of people who read that fact will try it

[Danjackson10]

It's impossible to lick your elbow

And 65% of people who read that fact will try it

i have come pretty close, maybe 2cm off!

[Devon Red]

The Daddy Long Legs is the most poisonous insect on the planet, but due to a lack of fangs it has no way of transmitting this venom

Pretty sure that has spread like wildfire since gervais had it on his standup

[Northern Red]

63% of statistics are made up

[Doore]

A giraffe is able to clean its ears with its own tongue

[jayohaitchenn]

It's impossible to lick your elbow

I can actually lick my elbow.

[Bennett]

It's impossible to lick your elbow

I can actually lick my elbow.

uh huh. any proof mr gummige?

[Northern Red]

Fact related to the other topic:

"Children in adult seat belts are four times more likely to suffer from head, brain and other serious injuries than children who have been placed in car seats or booster seats." (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)

[Ginginho]

I think Walrus was referring to the Crane Fly anyway, because a spider is not an insect. But again it's a myth.

There are loads of daddy long legs about at the moment, we keep getting them in the house, along with moths and huge fuckoff spiders.
The last couple of weeks have gone mad.

I don't get daddy long legs. Fucking pointless things that can't even fly properly, they just bounce around like spastic spiders, flying around your head, being just generally annoying as can be.
How come they are all the same size?
I have never seen a baby daddy long legs.


Northern Red wrote:

"Children in adult seat belts are four times more likely to suffer from head, brain and other serious injuries than children who have been placed in car seats or booster seats." (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)

I read that as Children's Hospital of Paedophilia. :shock:

[hansgruber]

I read that as Children's Hospital of Paedophilia.

Glad I'm not the only one!

[Batch]

The inventor of Subbuteo wnated to originally call the game "The Hobby". This was concidered too general to trade mark. There is a sub-species of buzzard (latin: Buteo) called The Hobby. Hence the popular finger oriented game being known as subbuteo (sub-buteo).

[Doore]

That subbuteo one is classic.

[jayohaitchenn]

It's impossible to lick your elbow

I can actually lick my elbow.

uh huh. any proof mr gummige?

I'll be in the Town End saturday, row M seat 57, come ask me and i'll show you