<p>Look closely: This hairy, pulsating carpet is actually a group of harvestmen, an arachnid commonly known as daddy longlegs. This aggregation of harvestmen helps fend off potential predators. When one of the arachnids senses danger, he moves his body up and down to create a vibration; a whole jiggling group of daddy longlegs <a href="http://www.hsu.edu/content.aspx?id=7439" title="">provides an even greater deterrent</a>. There's nothing quite like teamwork to make your skin crawl. <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2010/07/27/hairy-carpet-of-dadd.html" title="">Via Boingboing</a>: Related content: Discoblog: <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/05/14/spiders-apparently-concerned-about-nutrition-eat-ants-from-the-head-down/" title="">Spiders, Apparently Concerned About Nutrition, Eat Ants From the Head Down</a> Discoblog: <a href="/planet-earth/egad-oldest-spider-web-dates-back-to-dinosaur-era" title="">Egad! Oldest Spider Web Dates Back to Dinosaur Era</a> Discoblog: <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/02/02/beetle-inspired-adhesive-lifts-lego-man-could-one-day-do-same-for-regular-man/" title="">Beetle-Inspired Adhesive Lifts Lego Man; Could One Day Do Same for Regular Man</a></p><div class="vert-display-toggle collapsible relative flex flex-col items-center "><div class="vert-unit mt-4 mb-3 top-20"><div ad-type="mobile-desktop" class="ad-wrapper vert min-h-boombox flex items-start justify-center" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-0"></div></div><span aria-label="Advertisement" class="text-ad mt-1 text-[11px] uppercase">Advertisement</span></div>

Discover the fascinating hairy pulsating carpet of harvestmen teaming up to ward off predators. Nature’s teamwork in action!

Planet Earth

Video: A Hairy Carpet of Daddy Longlegs Fends off Predators

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Allison Bond

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Look closely: This hairy, pulsating carpet is actually a group of harvestmen, an arachnid commonly known as daddy longlegs. This aggregation of harvestmen helps fend off potential predators. When one of the arachnids senses danger, he moves his body up and down to create a vibration; a whole jiggling group of daddy longlegs provides an even greater deterrent. There's nothing quite like teamwork to make your skin crawl. Via Boingboing: Related content: Discoblog: Spiders, Apparently Concerned About Nutrition, Eat Ants From the Head Down Discoblog: Egad! Oldest Spider Web Dates Back to Dinosaur Era Discoblog: Beetle-Inspired Adhesive Lifts Lego Man; Could One Day Do Same for Regular Man

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