The most striking feature of harvestmen are their eight long legs. These legs have extremely sensitive tips which are used to explore their path, serve as shock-absorbers so that the torso moves along evenly, search for food and warn of danger.
The second pair of legs is longer than the others and functions as a sense organ. It also helps harvestman capture prey and even breathe through holes called spiracles. If the second pair of legs is lost, the harvestman will die.
The legs of harvestman also play an important role in the defense against predators by self-amputation. The removed leg can twitch for up to an hour, giving the harvestman time to escape. Unfortunately, the removed leg cannot grow back and, thus, this self-protection is quite costly.