Cucullia lactucae
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Cucullia lactucae, the lettuce shark, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in most of Europe, Turkey, the Caucasus and east across the Palearctic to the Altai Mountains (in the east records may be misidentifications of Cucullia fraterna Butler, 1878). In the Alps it rises to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft). It is found mainly in barren places, on weeds and debris and scree corridors on slopes, shrubby edges and in vineyards, gardens and parks. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lettuce Shark sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 130th most-seen of the 1115 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lettuce Shark in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lettuce Shark sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Lettuce Shark sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 10%).
Same genus: Cucullia
The closest relatives of the Lettuce Shark that you can see in Bavarian Forest National Park (genus Cucullia, Hooded Owlets) are Shark Moth (about 10%) and Mullein Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lettuce Shark is recorded against all the insects logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (36 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
