When the sun sets and the stars fill the night skies, it may be time to sleep for some animals. While for some others, its time to go hunt and also gather for food.
These animals are called nocturnal animals, or also defined as animals that are active at night. Unlike humans, these animals do not rely on light and dark to determine their sleeping patterns. As a result, most nocturnal animals sleep during the day.
The ability to see in the dark is an evolved trait of these animals. Different from normal animals or human beings, nocturnal animals have wider eyes and pupils. This allows the eye to absorb more light than a normal eye could.
Nocturnal animals can be categorized into two kinds. One of which is called crepuscular species, or nocturnal animals. And the others are called cathemeral species, or animals that are both active in the day and also night. Today we will discuss a few of the nocturnal animals that Earth has to showcase.
The sugar glider is exotic animals, also known as a marsupial. Similar to a Kangaroo or a Koala Bear, the sugar glider is originated from Australia and can also be found in Indonesia. Due to its size and cuteness of this animal, people consider it as an exotic pet.
Exotic pets need special treatments, here is how you can treat your exotic animals as pets. The size is similar to a hamster, but have different attributes than your normal family pets. Also, considering to get a pet hamster? Check out interesting facts about hamsters.
Some of these attributes include the membranes located between the wrist and its ankles. This feature allows this marsupial to glide across the air.
In addition to that, the sugar glider is also great hunters. It has large night vision eyes, enhanced hearing and can easily locate its food such as insects.
You may have recognized them from movies. With scenes where these animals howl at the Moon. Yes, that animal is called a gray wolf. The gray wolf originates from Eurasia and often live in snowy regions. It is known to be the largest species of wolf in the world.
The fur of the gray wolves protects it from the cold temperature, although sometimes the cold temperature is also useful to conserve body energy of the wolves.
Another unique attribute of a gray wolf besides the fact that it is nocturnal is that gray wolves howl to project a call. This is done to mark territory or to communicate long-distance with other wolves.
Barn owl considered a very common nocturnal bird that can be found on every single continent except Antarctica. The name itself is derived from the habit of nesting in barns or abandoned houses than outdoors.
The owl has a wide heart-shaped face, which makes it a unique pet to have. Did you know that wild animals can be kept as pets? Here’s what should be done to turn wild animals into pets.
With its sensitive hearing attributes, as well as sharp claws and sight, this animal does not doubt hunting its food at night, making it a silent predator.
Next in line, is a dangerous beast that is also known as a rival to lions. This predator is dangerous and they hunt individually. Hyenas often hunt at night, and it hunts by trying to separate an animal from its herd. In some cases, it would just gather food from leftover kills made by other animals.
Besides hunting huge mammalians, hyenas also feast on basically any other animal such as insects, birds, lizards or anything meaty. There are actually more interesting facts about hyenas than mentioned above.
5. Red Panda
Who doesn’t love an adorable harmless animal such as the red panda? The red panda, also known as a red bear cat due to its small size, originates from the high mountains of Eastern Himalayas.
The red panda often spends its daytime sleeping and sometimes hibernate. Why not learn more about how bears hibernate here. They are also great climbers, which makes tall trees a great place for home.
When the clock hits night time, its time for the red panda to scavenge for food. Scavenging for food at night is done so that red panda could avoid any potential predators such as snow leopards during their search.
Who says amphibians can’t be nocturnal? The red-eyed tree frog is a hidden gem. The name itself comes from the unique characteristic of its huge red eyes.
As mentioned before, this animal is a hidden gem due to its ability to hide in plain sight. The body is a perfect camouflage to hide from any predator. When the tree frog senses danger, it will widely flash its red eyes to scare off predators.
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