These adorable fluffy little fellows are Processionary Caterpillars.

They’re the larval form of the Bag-Shelter Moth and are often found in clusters on their favourite acacia trees. But as we all remember from our childhood, caterpillars are very hungry!

After they’ve finished demolishing all the leaves on one tree, they make the arduous trek to another one via a very unique technique. When one caterpillar departs the tree, it leaves a silk trail behind it. When another caterpillar finds the trail, it follows it. And then another does the same. And then another. And then another…

Ultimately, this can result in a procession up to one hundred caterpillars long, all following each other head-to-tail on the quest for a new tree.

But just for a second, I want you to imagine being the caterpillar at the front of a hundred-caterpillar-long procession. Imagine the pressure of having to find a new tree and then leading all the other caterpillars to it.

The poor caterpillar might not have even signed up for this. She might’ve been going on an evening stroll, minding her own business, when suddenly she turns around and sees a hundred expectant caterpillar faces innocently smiling back – hopeful, yet naïve. 

Her fate is sealed now though. She can’t decide to go and take a holiday in Hawaii when the going gets tough. She’s not even being paid $500k a year. She’s doing this out of a sense of moral obligation, a sense of duty, a sense of purpose. She may be a Processionary Caterpillar, but she was born to lead…

Despite being passionate, dedicated leaders, these caterpillars do have at least one thing in common with ScoMo. They’re also pricks – literally.

While they appear to be cute little floof balls, you should resist all urges to pat them. Processionary Caterpillars are covered in urticating hairs, and urticating is science for ‘ouch’.

These caterpillars will leave you with a nasty rash if they come in contact with your skin, so if you happen to stumble across a travelling band of Processionary Caterpillars, it’s best to admire them from afar, and tip your hat to the one at the front.

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Processionary Caterpillars (Ochrogaster lunifer), Kakadu National Park, Australia