Can it sting?

QDEBORA HAMMANN from Centurion writes: I saw this worm on a hike in the Dinokeng Game Reserve near Pretoria. Do you know what it is? And can it sting?

AEntomologist DUNCAN MACFADYEN says: This is the larva of the guineafowl butterfly – a relatively large butterfly in adult form with guineafowl-like colouring: grey wings with black-ringed white spots. The butterfly is quite a charismatic species that almost seems tame. It usually flies low, often settling with its wings wide open. The larvae feed on the leaves of velvet-leafed bushwillow and silver cluster-leaf trees in savannah bushveld environments. They don’t sting; their feathery appearance aids with camouflage.