Harvestment can remove one of their own legs to escape a predator
Erin Powell
Losing a leg early in life makes a male harvestman much more likely to grow up into a sneaker than into a fighter.
Young male harvestmen (Forsteropsalis pureora) – sometimes known as daddy longlegs – regularly mature into slim, meek adults if they lose a leg. Researchers think this may be because missing limbs make it more difficult to gather the food required to grow into a brawny, belligerent arachnid.
Males of many harvestmen species have evolved weaponry such as leg …
