American Snout

American Snout

Libytheana carinenta

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Iguazú National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

27 Verified sightings at Iguazú National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,056 In all 17 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the American Snout

Libytheana carinenta also called the American snout butterfly or common snout butterfly is a member of the subfamily Libytheinae in the brush-footed butterfly family, Nymphalidae. This species is found in both North and South America. The larval host plants are Celtis species on which the eggs are laid singly. Massive migrations of this species often attract attention in the Texas and Mexican newspapers.

Snout butterflies have prominent elongated mouthparts (labial palpi) which, in concert with the antennae, give the appearance of the petiole (stem) of a dead leaf. Snouts often take advantage of this superb camouflage by hanging upside down under a twig, making them nearly invisible. Wings are patterned black-brown with white and orange markings. The forewings have a distinctive squared off, hook-like (falcate) tip.

The caterpillars appear humpbacked, having a small head, swollen first and second abdominal segments, and a last abdominal segment which is tapered and rounded. They are dark green with yellow stripes along the top and sides of the body, and have two black tubercles on the top of the thorax. Their food is the common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) tree... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
2 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
4 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
5 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
6 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
8 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
11 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
12 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
13 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
14 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
15 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
16 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
17 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Torreón 🇲🇽 México
~20%
2 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
~20%
3 Mesa 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
5 San Antonio 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
6 San Luis Potosí 🇲🇽 México
~20%
7 Toluca 🇲🇽 México
~10%
8 Phoenix 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Cordoba 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
10 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an American Snout in Iguazú National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Snout sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 87th most-seen of the 306 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an American Snout in Iguazú National Park?

June

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an American Snout in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see an American Snout?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Snout sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Iguazú National Park the best place to see an American Snout?

7th of 17

Of the 17 parks where we can rate American Snout sightings, Iguazú National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Saguaro National Park (United States, about 30%), Big Bend National Park (United States, about 30%) and Congaree National Park (United States, about 30%).

Which relatives of the American Snout live in Iguazú National Park?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the American Snout that you can see in Iguazú National Park (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Agathina Emperor (about 70%), Hydaspes Eighty-Eight (about 50%) and Orange Mapwing (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the American Snout sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the American Snout is recorded against all the insects logged in Iguazú National Park (27 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.

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