22-02-2025
Aussies swoon over 'fuzzy' pink creature crawling on bench: 'What the flip'
Aussies are swooning over a 'fuzzy' pink creature spotted crawling on a wooden bench this week. A camper was soaking up the scenery in northern NSW when he stumbled upon the 'adorable' insect.
Intrigued by the caterpillar's mysterious identity, the man searched for answers about his new friend online, posting photos and videos of it strutting its colourful self across the thick piece of wood.
The creepy-crawly, which has two black 'bunny ears' emerging from its head, appeared to be completely oblivious to the fact it had company, the avid outdoorsman explained on Reddit.
Other Aussies were left just as amazed, and praised the 'fluff' ball's incredible colouring. 'What the flip?' one person wrote, while another said they 'want it' but were also 'scared' of the insect.
'Part of the fuzzarati,' the man who discovered it joked.
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Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Dr Chris Burwell, senior curator of insects at Queensland Museum, confirmed the alluring creature is a 'caterpillar in the larval stage of a moth'.
More specifically, it is most likely a trichiocerus sparshalli, otherwise known as a Sparshall's moth — a species that belongs to the moth family notodontidae.
'The colour of the caterpillars is variable. The fringe of hairs around the body can be white, yellow or pink and the tufts of hairs long the top of the body can also be red and black, or orange and black,' he explained.
'The caterpillars feed at night on the leaves of eucalypts. When they are young the caterpillars are gregarious, sheltering together during the day and moving out to feed at night, travelling in a procession, head to tail. When they are older and larger they become solitary, feeding on their own.'
The caterpillars grow to about 4cm in length and pupate in a silk cocoon in ground debris. The species is widespread in the Northern Territory and along the east coast of Australia. It can also be found in South Australia and southern Western Australia, Dr Burwell said.
However, when they become adult moths, they loose their flair.
'The adult moth will be white or greyish with a brown thorax,' the expert told Yahoo.
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