Nocturnal Animals

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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You might not see these animals very often because they are busy while most people are sleeping.

• Have you ever heard something rustling in the trash at night?

That might be a raccoon looking for food.

• Have you ever looked up and seen something flying in the dark sky?

That could be a bat hunting for insects.

The nighttime world is full of busy animals.

What Does Nocturnal Mean?

The word nocturnal means an animal is awake at night and sleeps during the day.

Some animals are active when the sun is shining. Other animals wait until it gets dark. Nighttime helps them stay safe and find food.

Animals that are nocturnal have special ways to help them move around in the dark.

How Animals See in the Dark

Many nocturnal animals have big eyes. Big eyes help them see better when there is very little light.

Some animals also have a special layer in their eyes that reflects light. This can make their eyes look shiny at night when light shines on them.

Cats, owls, and raccoons are animals that can see well in the dark.

How Animals Hear in the Dark

Some animals use their ears more than their eyes.

Owls have very strong hearing. They can hear tiny sounds made by animals moving on the ground. This helps them find food even when it is very dark.

Bats use a special skill called echolocation. A bat makes tiny sounds. The sound bounces off objects and comes back to the bat. The bat listens to the echo to learn where things are. This helps the bat fly and catch insects in the dark.

How Animals Smell in the Dark

Some nocturnal animals use their noses to find food.

Raccoons and opossums have strong senses of smell. Their noses help them find fruit, insects, or other food at night.

How Animals Talk at Night

Animals also talk to each other in the dark.

Owls make hooting sounds. Wolves howl to call other wolves in their pack. Some insects, like fireflies, glow with light to send signals to other fireflies. This glowing light is called bioluminescence.

Animals That Are Awake at Night

Many animals are nocturnal.

Bats fly through the sky at night to catch insects.

Owls hunt small animals in the dark.

Raccoons look for food while most people sleep.

Opossums move quietly at night and rest during the day.

Moths fly around at night and are often drawn to lights.

Some deer also move around in the evening or at night to find food.

Why Some Animals Like the Night

Nighttime can help animals stay safe. Some animals hide from predators by coming out after dark. Night can also be cooler, which helps animals in hot places.

Many insects come out at night, too. This gives animals like bats and owls plenty of food to eat.

The night may seem quiet, but it is actually full of animals working, hunting, and exploring.

Now that you know what nocturnal animals are and how they live at night, it is time to practice what you learned. In the Got It? section, you will explore some fun activities about these nighttime animals.