Some of us find tranquillity during the wee hours of the night. It is during these hours that some of us really become productive. Apparently, some animals in the wild also start their routine at nighttime and are mostly inactive, if not asleep, during the daytime. These animals have their unique ways of survival, and that includes staying up all night. Here are some nocturnal animals or some animals that are more active at dark and what they do at night:
Sloths
These cute and huggable slowpokes are actually nocturnal. As seen in memes and in cartoons, sloths really move slowly in real life. Such funny and adorable creatures, sloths just sleep during the day–probably the reason they are said to be slowpokes. It is during nighttime that they wake up and move around to eat. They usually eat leaves, fruits, and some green shoots. Although sometimes, they eat larval insects or protein-rich food like bird eggs. There are still lots of interesting sloth facts that you might want to look into.
Owls
It must already be common knowledge that owls hoot louder at night. Most owls are nocturnal, but there are also some which are diurnal—those who are more active during the day and rest at night. Nocturnal owls spend most of the night hunting for food. Many owls feed on meat. They usually prey on small animals and rodent-like animals. Owls hunt in different ways. One example is hunting by perching and pouncing. What these big-eyed birds do is they perch comfortably until they see a prey, then glide down and pounce on it. Owls, no matter how big their eyes are, cannot rotate it. However, they can rotate their necks.
Bats
The same thing as owls, everyone must already know that bats are most active during nighttime. We have heard and seen about it many times over: bats depicted in movies, tales, and plays where they spookily hang upside down and wait for an intruder to attack. They usually hunt during the night with their echolocation. This means they have a heightened sense of hearing. They can even hear and create noises that humans cannot hear. These nocturnals also do not enjoy light, bright places, which is why they usually live inside caves.
Foxes
Some of us might be familiar with Swiper the Fox who “swipes” Dora’s stuff during daytime but apparently, foxes are also more active during the night. By dusk, they can already be seen alone, hunting for food, until night. Foxes today are becoming more common and widespread that they can also be seen in urban areas. A fox’s diet comprises either meat or plants and fruits. For humans, foxes are not much of a threat. In fact, they are pretty shy as they immediately run away from humans. The only rare times that they pose as a threat are when foxes are rabid as they may carry rabies or when they are captured or handled.
Hedgehogs
These cute, spiny rodents may be spotted in your garden if you are lucky. These cuties are also nocturnal, as their poor eyesight does not do much for them if they hunt during the daytime. They hear very well, though, and have a heightened sense of smell. These help very well during their hunting and mostly come in handy when hunting at night. Hedgehogs can also hibernate where they sleep all winter. You can see that hedgehogs have these long snouts. These snouts are actually very useful for them as they hunt. These make it easier for them to forage worms, insects, berries, and other food.
Badgers
Badgers are show-stoppers with the black and white stripes on their faces. One would not mistake it for any other once they see a badger. Like foxes, badgers are also shy mammals that usually live in the woods. They live in what we call “setts” or underground burrows. However, these days, they have also hunted at gardens in urban spaces. Though shy towards humans, badgers are social and live in groups with their own kind.
Mice
We may be all too familiar with this, but mice are also nocturnal. We might notice it, too, that they move around more often during the night. Like other nocturnal animals, mice have poor eyesight that is pretty much useless during the day. Their heightened sense of hearing and smell, however, compensate for this which is why they hunt more productively at night.
Takeaway
Now that you have learned some nocturnal animals, it might playfully cross your mind that while you are pulling an all-nighter, somewhere, there are also some animals that are also up and about! Aside from these, there are more nocturnal animals interesting to learn about.
