Are you what they call a "night owl"? Ever wonder who else is up in the dead of night? You may be happy to know that plenty of creatures are most active while the Sun is down. Find out more about some of these nocturnal animals:
1. Bats Not all bats are nocturnal--some are crepuscular (active during dawn and dusk). To get around in the dark and find their prey, many bats rely on a sophisticated form of sonar known as echolocation. Many bats, especially the crepuscular ones, have exceptionally good eyesight designed for low levels of light.
2. Goatsuckers This family of birds, which includes the nighthawk, is also known as nightjars. During the day, they lie on the ground. They spend much of their waking hours capturing (and eating) insects.
3. Cockroaches Cockroaches spend a lot of time cleaning themselves, but they haven't changed their looks much in 320 million years. Most species also prefer darkness to light, which works out nicely for them since they are nocturnal.
4. Raccoons These rascals love to come out of hiding at night--and they're a good reason to wait until morning to put your trash out on the curb. They have very nimble front paws--in fact, the word raccoon is a derivative of the Native American word arakun, which roughly means "he who scratches with his hands."
5. Catfish We don't usually think about "night" and "day" in marine habitats, but apparently catfish do. Catfish are nocturnal scavengers that typically live in shallow water.
6. Hamsters If you've ever had a pet hamster, you probably know that these furry creatures are nocturnal. They've been known to keep their human owners awake through the night while they run on their squeaky exercise wheel.
7. Lemurs Most small lemurs (not the large ones) are nocturnal. In fact, the word lemur comes from the Latin lemures meaning "nocturnal spirits."
8. Earwigs These nocturnal insects have menacing pincers attached to the end of their abdomens. They received their name from the belief (erroneous, don't worry) that they creep into people's ears. Perhaps at night, while people are sleeping?
9. Moray eels These sea creatures, which can grow to about 10 feet long, do most of their feeding at night. They usually stalk their prey from hidden spots, such as holes in coral reefs.
10. Colugos These nocturnal mammals are sometimes called flying lemurs, although they do not actually fly and they are not related to lemurs. Go figure. Skillful climbers, colugos spend most of their time in trees. On the ground they are almost helpless.
11. Opossums Did you know that opossums are only found in the Western Hemisphere? During the day they typically sleep in burrows, and at night they hunt for food. They eat insects, which could be hard to catch, and the rotting flesh of dead animals, which is probably pretty easy to catch.
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