Cocytius antaeus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Cocytius antaeus, the giant sphinx, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Sphinx sighting in Mexico City on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 221st most-seen of the 557 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Sphinx in Mexico City on a given day, against under 5% in February and April–December, the lowest months. Those are among Mexico City's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 150 mm in July.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant Sphinx sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Giant Sphinx sightings, Mexico City ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Lima (Peru, about 10%) and Panama City (Panama, under 5%).
Same family: Sphingidae
The closest relatives of the Giant Sphinx that you can see in Mexico City (family Sphingidae, Sphinx Moths) are Pink-Spotted Hawkmoth (about 10%), White-Lined Sphinx (about 10%) and Falcon Sphinx (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Sphinx is recorded against all the insects logged in Mexico City (25 verified sightings), 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.
