Viral Photos Show Why It's Best To Avoid Buildings That 'Grow Fur'

Updated September 8, 2021

Although it often feels like we have enough to deal with, we can nonetheless find ourselves facing warning signs we didn't even know we had to worry about.

For instance, if you see a purple flag on a lifeguard tower, it means that your day at the beach could end up interrupted by some hazardous marine life. Depending on the time of year, it's likely to be "sea lice" that can cause itchy rashes with their stings.

By a similar token, there's a decent chance that this could be the first time that you've been warned about hanging around a building that appears to grow fur.

As with the sea lice, ignoring this warning won't put you in mortal danger but it will probably make things a lot less comfortable for you.

Shortly before Halloween, employees of the National Park Service hit Facebook with some eye-catching photos.

Facebook | Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

As the NPS wrote on Facebook, the photos you're about to see were taken from the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska but it seems you're about as likely to see the phenomenon they captured throughout most of the country.

And as we can see here, this has to do with buildings suddenly appearing more "furry" than usual.

Facebook | National Park Service

But despite how it looks, the NPS explained that this is neither fur nor a growing plant but rather a cluster of harvestmen.

You'd likely know them better by their nickname, daddy-longlegs.

Facebook | National Park Service

Yes, it turns out that this "fur" is actually a cluster of hundreds of daddy-longlegs that the National Park Service figures clump together to make themselves appear larger and more intimidating to predators.

After all, there's often safety in numbers.

While harvestmen are arachnids, they're not technically spiders because they are classified in a different order than their industrious cousins.

Facebook | National Park Service

Although you can often find them on rocks or logs, it's pretty common to find them in any sufficiently moist habitat.

It's also worth noting that while they may look creepy clumped together like this, they're harmless to humans.

Still, there probably aren't many people who would enjoy it that much if the "fur" they discovered under a door frame suddenly started crawling on them.

And it's for that reason that The Weather Network advises keeping your distance if you come across a patch in a building, a crack in a fence, or a section of road that seems more furry than it should be.

h/t: Facebook | National Park Service

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