… is a long convoy of migrating caterpillars. This can be seen occasionally in winter, here in the lowveld. I saw this unique phenomenon a few days ago on our Moditlo River Lodge, on one of the dirt roads on the reserve. Someone had foolishly driven over their convoy, but one can see how they have regrouped again, and continued their slow journey.
It is not a 100% clear as to why they do this, but it is thought that maybe it gives them the appearance of a snake, and hence they are less likely to be attacked. Maybe.
They follow a very thin silk thread (you can see it on the photo, if you look closely) on the ground that the front caterpillar produces. This is a slow-moving thing, bumper-to-bumper, so it can take up to half an hour to cross a relatively small road.
So once they arrive in the bush, they turn eventually into chrysalis, and then butterflies.
See the photos of this uniquely bizarre phenomenon. Only in Africa!
And here a video I took:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heBs4Y-mQK8
