The arachnid order containing whip spiders is Amblypygi.
Amblypygi means “blunt tail,” referring to the absence of the long flagellum found in the related whip-scorpions of order Uropygi. Members of Amblypygi are also called tailless whip-scorpions, although they are neither true scorpions nor venomous whip-scorpions. Their flattened bodies and extremely long front legs give them a distinctive appearance.
Amblypygids have eight legs, but they use the front pair as slender, antenna-like sensory organs rather than for walking. They hunt mainly at night, detecting prey with those feelers and seizing it with spiny pedipalps. Despite their intimidating look, they lack venom glands and silk glands and are generally harmless to people.
The order is found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions, including humid forests, caves, and areas beneath bark. A common mistake is to select Schizomida, which contains short-tailed whip-scorpions, or Solifugae, the order of camel spiders and wind scorpions. Ricinulei is another separate arachnid order, known for rare hooded tick-spiders.