The banjo animal

Dicranopalpus ramosus is a species of harvestman. It looks strange and silly when it’s sitting on a wall, a tree trunk or a branch, with its eight long, thin legs splayed out to the sides, like strings on a weird banjo. If you get a bit closer, you’ll see it has two long forked pedipalps (mouthparts) which have given the animal its Danish name – fork harvestman.

The species was first recorded in Denmark in 2007, on Funen, but has now spread over most of the country. It is a true autumn/early winter animal. Like other species of harvestman, it can detach one or more of its long legs as a decoy for any curious predator. The detached leg can continue twitching for a long time after losing contact with its former owner, giving the harvestman time to run away.

Dicranopalpus ramosus are predators, but they are restricted to feeding on animals that are considerably smaller than themselves. Due to their build, they are unable to overpower anything that is very big or strong, and they are much more successful in the dark.

It can be an interesting experience to follow some of these nocturnal animals when they go out hunting, but you’ll need a good torch, and a lot of patience.