10 animals that stay awake all night

Pay attention to the world of your daily waking life, and you will find yourself surrounded by an entire ecosystem of creatures that go far beyond the people you walk the streets. Although you may not see it, the night is just as lively here. And this is true all over the world.

Creatures that sleep during the day and are active at night are known as nocturnal animals, and they take the form of both predators and prey. This is in contrast to daytime animals – or those that stay awake during the day and sleep at night. It also differs from the crepuscular species, which are active at dawn or dusk. The creatures on our list thrive in their nocturnal habitats, and many have developed traits to thrive in the dark. Here are ten of the most interesting nocturnal animals on Earth.

# 10 Animals that stay awake all night: the barn owl is easy prey with an ear

The fact that the barn owl is fully nocturnal – coupled with the eerie sound of her screaming – has led to her being viewed as a bad omen or demonic in many cultures. But it turns out that the sense organs of the barn owl are the best suited for night hunting. But while barn owls can see up to 100 times more clearly in the dark than humans, barn owls can often chase their prey by sound alone. The fact that one ear opening is higher than the other allows for a sophisticated mapping system that takes into account both vertical and horizontal space.

The barn owl squeal is a way to communicate with potential mates, and you can read more about this hauntingly unique owl here.

No. 9 Animals That Don’t Sleep All Night: The Pygmy Slow Loris – Night Hunt To Avoid Competition

The primate, known as the pygmy slow loris, is both nocturnal and arboreal, and both seek to find the path of least resistance in terms of fighting competition. When hunting at night, lorises can avoid competition with daytime primates such as monkeys and monkeys. Hiding in trees and branches during the day also helps them reduce the risk of being discovered by prey. And, despite the name, the pygmy slow loris are not at all so slow.

These creatures leave their children on the hunt and usually remain on the move throughout the night, except during periods of feasting. Laurie also differs in being the only venomous primate in the world, but their nocturnal hunts are usually for non-threatening prey such as beetles and bird eggs.

# eight Animals that stay awake all night: Cairo spiny mouse – Night shift work

While the Cairo spiny mouse is active exclusively at night, its closest analogue, the golden spiny mouse, is only active during the day. What makes this unusual is how physiologically similar the two mice are, and the fact that they often live in the same ecosystems and hunt the same prey, albeit at different times of the day. This species of mouse relies on its strong sense of smell and hearing to navigate in the dark, but it is also helped by hairs near its nose and mouth, which can be used to detect objects in the dark. Whether they’re outdoors at night or during the day, their spiky fur makes them an unappetizing meal for many predators.

Spiny mice are just one of over a thousand different types of mice that you can learn more about here.

# 7 Animals that stay awake all night: raccoon – urban adaptation

Raccoons find it difficult to distinguish colors and see objects at a distance, but their eyes have adapted a reflective coating that helps them see in the dark. But most of the hard work is taken over by their other senses. Raccoons are especially strong in hearing and smell, but they also have an incredibly accurate sense of touch with their nimble fingers. This, combined with the high intelligence of the raccoon, made this animal especially well adapted to life in urban environments.

While people are sleeping, these animals can use their sense of smell to hunt down trash, as well as their intelligence and puzzle-solving ability to make food out of it. Raccoons have a reputation for being some of the cunning animals that you can learn more about here.

This breed of ferrets is a great example of how a predator develops prey-based methods. Prairie dogs are active during the cooler hours of the day and create complex social networks centered in underground tunnels, and the black-footed ferret uses these tunnels to stalk its prey. Black-footed ferrets feed almost entirely on prairie dogs, and as their prey has become an endangered species, these animals have also faced population extinction. This is because the black-footed ferret relies on prairie dog towns not only for food, but also because their tunnels provide them with a place to live and raise their young.

You can read more about the once completely extinct black-footed ferret here.

# five Animals that stay awake all night: The Bat – innovation through echolocation

It is logical that bats hunt only at night. This reduces the threat of predators and also reduces competition from other animals, primarily birds, with similar, if not identical, diets. While most bat species are not as blind as popular wisdom suggests, their most effective hunting method is echolocation. Bats emit high-frequency noise that propagates at ultrasonic frequencies, and these sound waves are reflected off surfaces to create a map of the environment. Hunting sessions are usually short, as the amount of energy required to fly is large compared to the nutritional value of insects.

Bats make up about one-fifth of the world’s mammalian population, and you can find out more interesting facts about these unique flying animals here.

# 4 Animals that stay awake all night: pangolin – walking tanks hiding underground

The life of the pangolin is solitary, as they spend almost their entire life hiding in burrows underground. They spend their nights expanding their makeshift cave networks and hunting insects using their long tongue and keen sense of smell. Although there are eight different types of pangolins in the world, they are all united by the unique armored scales that cover their bodies. Unfortunately, this animal is considered a delicacy in many countries, and poachers have put it on the brink of extinction.

You can learn more about the different types of pangolins, including the one that lives in trees rather than burrowing, here.

# 3 Animals that stay awake all night: kinkajou – big eyes for better vision

Many nocturnal animals rely on senses other than sight – but the kinkaju have instead adapted, developing eyes that can see almost perfectly in complete darkness. These arboreal creatures sleep together in trees in the rainforests of South and Central America and use their prehensile tails to navigate trees in search of fruit. But they also have the ability to rotate their legs 180 degrees to make it even easier to traverse the jungle canopies. And despite the fact that they have sharp fangs, like those of carnivorous animals, they actually feed exclusively on fruits.

Kinkajou play an important role in the rainforest ecosystem by spreading seeds, and you can learn more about these interesting animals here.

# 2 Animals that stay awake all night: the fennec fox – hiding from the desert sun

The petite size and adorable features of the fennec fox make it one of the most adorable animals of the desert, but you will only find it if you go outside at night. The biggest threat to fennec foxes is daytime predators such as hawks and hyenas, so these adorable animals congregate in burrows under the sand at night. These underground homes also protect them from the intense heat of the desert, and they only go hunting when night and temperature fall. Because they are omnivores, their evening hunt can lead them to insects or rodents as easily as they get to fruits, plants, and roots.

Fortunately, fennec fox gets all the moisture it needs from food, and you can read more about them here.

# one Animals that stay up all night: Tasmanian devil – glows in the dark

The Tasmanian devil relies on exceptional sight and hearing to track prey and evade predators, but these animals, which live exclusively on the island after which they are named, also have the unique ability to glow in the dark. The snouts, ears and eyes of these animals can absorb ultraviolet light and emit it as blue light. And while researchers have yet to pinpoint exactly why this could have evolved as an evolutionary advantage, it looks like it’s not a disadvantage in the wild.

If your whole idea of ​​the Tasmanian devil comes from cartoons, you can read more about these adorable animals here.

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