List of nocturnal animals explained

This is a list of nocturnal animals and groups of animals. Birds are listed separately in the list of nocturnal birds.

Known nocturnal animals

• Aardvark
• Aye-aye^[1]
• African elephant (possibly crepuscular; when near humans, otherwise diurnal)^[2]
• American black bear
• Badger^[3]
• Bandicoot
• Bat^[4]
• Bat-eared fox^[5]
• Beaver^[6]
• Bilby^[7]
• Binturong^[8]
• Black rhinoceros
• Black rat^[9]
• Black-footed cat
• Bobcat
• Brown rat^[10]
• Galago (bushbaby)^[11]
• Bush rat^[12]
• Capybara (some are crepuscular)^[13]
• Caracal^[14]
• Cat (can be awake at any time of day or night but are mostly crepuscular)
• Catfish^{[15] [16]}
• Chinchilla^[17]
• Civet^[18]
• Cockroach^[19]
• Cougar^[20]
• Coyote^{[21] [22]}
• Cricket^[23]
• Cacomistle
• Cyprus spiny mouse^[24]
• Dingo^[25]
• Dolphin
• Dwarf crocodile^[26]
• Eastern woolly lemur^[27]
• Firefly^[28]
• Flying squirrel^{[29] [30]}
• Genet (animal)
• Gerbil^[31] (some are diurnal or crepuscular^[32])
• Giraffe (possibly crepuscular)
• Gray wolf^[33]
• Great grey slug^{[34] [35]}
• Great white shark^[36] (possibly crepuscular)
• Hamster^[37]
• Hedgehog^[38]
• Hermit crab^{[39] [40]}
• Hippopotamus
• Honey badger^{[41] [42]}
• Hyena^[43]
• Hoffmann's two-toed sloth^[44]
• Iranian jerboa^{[45] [46]}
• Jaguar (bordering on crepuscular)
• Kangaroo (most, a few are crepuscular)^[47]
• Koala (mostly nocturnal)^{[48] [49]}
• Kinkajou^[50]
• Kit fox (mostly)^[51]
• Leopard^[52]
• Leopard Gecko^[53]
• Lion (bordering on crepuscular)^{[54] [55]}
• Lynx
• Margay^[56]
• Mink (bordering on crepuscular)^{[57] [58]}
• Mole
• Mouse^{[59] [60]}
• Nightingale
• Nightjar
• Nine-banded armadillo^[61]
• Octodon (except the diurnal degus species)^[62]
• Oncilla^{[63] [64]}
• Ocelot
• Opossum^{[65] [66]}
• Otter
• Owl
• Owl monkey^[67]
• Pacarana
• Panamanian night monkey^{[68] [69]}
• Pangolin^[70]
• Platypus^[71]
• Paradoxical frog^{[72] [73]}
• Porcupine^[74]
• Possum^[75]
• Puma^[76]
• Python regius^[77]
• Quoll
• Rabbit rat^[78]
• Raccoon^{[79] [80]}
• Red-eyed tree frog^{[81] [82]}
• Red fox
• Ringtail
• Scorpion^[83]
• Skunk^[84]
• Slender loris^[85]
• Slow loris^[86]
• Spectacled bear^[87]
• Sportive lemur
• Sugar glider
• Tapeti^{[88] [89]}
• Tarantula^[90]
• Tarsier^[91]
• Tasmanian devil
• Tiger (most species)^{[92] [93]}
• Turtle
• Onychophora
• Western woolly lemur
• Whale
• Whale shark
• Whip-poor-will
• White-faced storm petrel (when caring for young)^[94]
• White-tailed deer (bordering on crepuscular)^[95]
• Wild boar^[96]
• Wolverine
• Wombat^[97]

Extinct nocturnal animals

• Allosaurus
• Ceratosaurus
• Coelophysis
• Ctenochasma
• Deinonychus
• Majungasaurus
• Ornitholestes
• Palaeochiropteryx
• Panthera onca augusta (Pleistocene North American jaguar)
• Panthera onca mesembrina (Pleistocene South American jaguar)
• Rhamphorhynchus
• Shuvuuia
• Thylacinus cynocephalus (Thylacine)
• Troodon^[98]
• Tyrannosaurus^[99]
• Velociraptor^[100]

See also

• Crepuscular, a classification of animals that are active primarily during twilight, making them similar to nocturnal animals.
• Diurnality, plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.
• Cathemeral, a classification of organisms with sporadic and random intervals of activity during the day or night.
• Matutinal, a classification of organisms that are only or primarily active in the pre-dawn hours or early night.
• Vespertine, a classification of organisms that are only or primarily active in the evening.
• Circadian rhythm
• Chronotype

External links

• The Susceptibility of Nocturnal Animals to Ultra-violet Radiation
• BBC Nature Wildlife, Nocturnal

Notes and References

1. Web site: Aye-Aye Daubentonia madagascariensis . National Geographic . 18 May 2010.
2. Web site: African Elephant . Oakland Zoo . 17 September 2023 . Most African elephants are diurnal though some herds who live near human populations have become mostly nocturnal to avoid human interactions..
3. http://www.ksr.ku.edu/libres/Mammals_of_Kansas/badger.html Kansas University
4. Web site: Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Bat Facts.
5. Web site: Bat-eared fox . . 18 May 2010.
6. Swinnen . Kristijn R.R. . Hughes . Nelika K. . Leirs . Herwig . Beaver (Castor fiber) activity patterns in a predator-free landscape. What is keeping them in the dark? . Mammalian Biology . 80 . 6 . 2015 . 10.1016/j.mambio.2015.07.006 . 477–483. 10067/1269160151162165141 . free .
7. Web site: Nocturnal Animals . AllAboutNature.com.
8. Web site: Binturong - San Diego Zoo Animals.
9. Web site: Black Rat - Rangerplanet.com. 21 August 2019 .
10. Web site: Brown Rat - Rangerplanet.com. 21 August 2019 .
11. Web site: Bush Baby . African Wildlife Foundation .
12. Web site: Bush Rat.
13. Web site: Capybara Fact Sheet . San Diego Zoo Global Library . 22 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110930051431/http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/capybara/capybara.htm . 30 September 2011 . dead. Web site: Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) . A-Z Animals . 22 July 2017.
14. Book: Tanzania: With Zanzibar, Pemba & Mafia . Chalfont St. Peter . Bradt Travel Guides . 2009 . Briggs, Philip . 28 . 9781841622880 .
15. Web site: Catfish . Animal-World . Animal World. 4 August 2023 .
16. Web site: How Nocturnal Catfish Stalk Their Prey . Kate . Wong . Scientific American.
17. Web site: Chinchilla Facts: What is a Chinchilla – Adorable Pet or Wild Animal . ChinchillaFactsSite.com.
18. Journal van Schaik, C.P. and Griffiths, M., 1996. Activity periods of Indonesian rain forest mammals. Biotropica, pp.105-112.
19. Web site: Cockroaches Management Guidelines--UC IPM.
20. http://www.nps.gov/ccso/cougar.htm National Park Service
21. Web site: EEK! - Critter Corner - Coyote.
22. Web site: Wildlife Directory: Coyote – Living with Wildlife . University of Illinois . 2011-12-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120121005212/http://m.extension.illinois.edu/wildlife/directory_show.cfm?species=coyote . 2012-01-21 . dead.
23. http://insected.arizona.edu/cricketinfo.htm University of Arizona, Cricket Info
24. Web site: Spiny Mice . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120218052004/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jean.wright93/sm/sm.htm . 2012-02-18 .
25. Allen . Benjamin L. . Goullet . Mark . Allen . Lee R. . Lisle . Allan . Leung . Luke K.-P. . Dingoes at the doorstep: Preliminary data on the ecology of dingoes in urban areas . Landscape and Urban Planning . Elsevier BV . 119 . 2013 . 0169-2046 . 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.07.008 . 131–135. free .
26. Book: Eaton, M.J. . 2010 . Dwarf crocodile Osteolaemus tetraspis . Manolis, S.C. . C. Stevenson . Crocodiles: Status, Survey and Conservation Action Plan . https://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/21%20O-c1d8ab26.pdf . IUCN Crocodile Specialist Conservation Group . 3 . 127–132.
27. Web site: Eastern Woolly Lemur (Avahi laniger) . Sean . Flannery .
28. Web site: Firefly - definition of firefly by The Free Dictionary . TheFreeDictionary.com.
29. http://www.ksr.ku.edu/libres/mammals_of_kansas/fly-squir.html Kansas University
30. Thorington, Jr. . R.W . Pitassy, D. . Jansa, S.A. . June 2002 . Phylogenies of Flying Squirrels (Pteromyinae) . Journal of Mammalian Evolution . 9 . 1–2 . 99–135 . 2009-07-14 . 10.1023/A:1021335912016 . 12443674 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110611111147/http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jansa003/PDFs/Thorington.etal.02.pdf . 2011-06-11 .
31. Web site: Facts on Gerbils and Hamsters . PETA. 25 June 2010 .
32. Web site: ADW: Gerbillinae: INFORMATION . Animal Diversity Web.
33. Web site: Wolf Facts: Gray Wolves, Timber Wolves & Red Wolves . . 10 July 2017 .
34. Web site: Great Grey Slug Archive . Animal Facts For Kids - Wild Facts.
35. Web site: Good Words . 1880.
36. Klimley . A. Peter . Anderson . Scot D. . Pyle . Peter . Henderson . R. P. . Spatiotemporal Patterns of White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) Predation at the South Farallon Islands, California . Copeia . [American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), Allen Press] . 1992 . 3 . 1992 . 00458511 . 1446143 . 680–690 . 2024-06-04.
37. Web site: AFRMA - Hamsters: Syrian & Russian Dwarf Hamsters.
38. Web site: Hedgehogs . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130212223618/http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/facts/hedge.htm . 2013-02-12.
39. Web site: HERMIT-CRABS.COM.
40. Web site: Hermit crab store at Bloomington Minnesota. . 2011-12-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111125234446/http://www.hermitcrabs.org/ . 2011-11-25 . dead.
41. http://www.badgers.org.uk/badgerpages/honey-badger-08.html Badgers.co.uk
42. http://www.honeybadger.com/factfile/Diet.htm HoneyBadger.com
43. Encyclopedia: hyena - mammal . Encyclopædia Britannica.
44. Web site: Two-toed Sloth Fact Sheet . 2011-12-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141104184342/http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/sloth/sloth.htm . 2014-11-04 . dead.
45. Web site: EDGE :: Mammal Species Information . EDGE of Existence . 2011-12-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101031120330/http://edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=64 . 2010-10-31 . dead.
46. http://www.nhptv.org/wild/dipodidae.asp Wildlife Journal Junior
47. http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/kangaroos.html Australian Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade
48. https://www.savethekoala.com/kids/dictionary.html Australian Koala Foundation
49. Web site: Koala facts - All about koalas. . Powell . Ettinger.
50. Web site: National Geographic Explorer Adventurer Magazine - Teachers . 2012-07-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120720215356/http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0410/articles/mainarticle.html . 2012-07-20 . dead.
51. Web site: Kit Fox.
52. Web site: NOVA Online - Leopards of the Night - The Nocturnal Eye. .
53. Web site: Animal Planet - Leopard Gecko Stats and Facts.
54. http://www.earth-touch.com/result.php?i=Lions-nocturnal-chorus Lions' nocturnal chorus
55. http://www.phoenixzoo.org/learn/animals/animal_detail.aspx?FACT_SHEET_ID=100001 Phoenix Zoo Fact Sheet - Lions
56. Web site: Margay.
57. Web site: Animal Tracks - Mink (Mustela vison AKA Neovison vison) . Kim A. . Cabrera.
58. http://www.wildcru.org/research/research-detail/?project_id=37 Wildlife Conservation Research Unit
59. 1374418 . Nocturnal Explorations of the Forest Deer-Mouse . Journal of Mammalogy . 17 . 3 . 225–230 . Behney . W. H. . 1936 . 10.2307/1374418.
60. Web site: The Field Mouse.
61. http://www.ksr.ku.edu/libres/mammals_of_kansas/roadkill.html Mammals of Kansas - Kansas University
62. http://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/theresaleelab/ University of Michigan
63. Web site: Oncilla or 'Little Spotted Cat' . 2011-12-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110109041732/http://travelcostaricanow.com/index.php/Oncilla_or_%27Little_Spotted_Cat%27 . 2011-01-09 . dead.
64. http://www.felineconservation.org/feline_species/oncilla.htm FelineConserveation.org
65. Web site: Opossum FAQ.
66. http://opossum.craton.net/faqs.htm Craton.net
67. Fernández-Duque . Eduardo . de la Iglesia . Horacio . Erkert . Hans G. . Moonstruck Primates: Owl Monkeys (Aotus) Need Moonlight for Nocturnal Activity in Their Natural Environment . PLoS ONE . 5 . 9 . 2010-09-03 . 1932-6203 . 20838447 . 2933241 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0012572 . free . e12572.
68. Web site: Primate Factsheets: Owl monkey (Aotus) Taxonomy, Morphology, & Ecology .
69. Web site: Aotus zonalis (Panamanian Night Monkey).
70. Web site: Pangolin . African Wildlife Foundation . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090417080037/http://www.awf.org/content/wildlife/detail/pangolin . 2009-04-17 .
71. Hawke . Tahneal . Bino . Gilad . Kingsford . Richard T. . Iervasi . Dion . Iervasi . Kylie . Taylor . Matthew D. . Long-term movements and activity patterns of platypus on regulated rivers . Scientific Reports . Springer Science and Business Media LLC . 11 . 1 . 2021-02-11 . 2045-2322 . 10.1038/s41598-021-81142-6 . 7878892 .
72. Web site: Paradoxical frog (Pseudis paradoxus) . WildAnimalsOnline.com . 2011-12-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111216202704/http://www.wildanimalsonline.com/amphibians/paradoxicalfrog.php . 2011-12-16 . dead.
73. Web site: Nocturnal Animals . 2011-12-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111009112001/http://www.buzzle.com/articles/nocturnal-animals.html . 2011-10-09 . dead.
74. Web site: North American porcupine — Erethizon dorsatum (Linnaeus, 1758) . Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County . July 26, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140607082910/http://www.nhm.org/site/explore-exhibits/permanent-exhibits/north-american-mammals/porcupine . June 7, 2014 . dead .
75. Web site: ! Rainforest Possums ! Tropical Rainforest, Far North Queensland Australia . John . Chambers . 2012-02-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120128101453/http://rainforest-australia.com/possums.htm . 2012-01-28 . dead.
76. Web site: Puma .
77. http://www.nadvethosp.com/includes/file.asp?file_id=67 Nad Al Shiba Veterinary Hospital
78. Web site: Conilurus albipes — White-footed Rabbit-rat, Parroo .
79. http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/raccoon.htm Nature Works
80. Web site: Animal Makesafe Frequently Asked Questions - Environmental Health and Safety - The University of Texas at Austin . 2012-02-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120120122508/http://www.utexas.edu/safety/ehs/animalmakesafe/faq.html . 2012-01-20 . dead.
81. Web site: Nocturnal-animals.com . 2012-02-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100912201050/http://nocturnal-animals.com/animals/red-eyed-tree-frog-facts/ . 2010-09-12 . dead .
82. Web site: Red-Eyed Tree Frog (Agalychnis callidryas) - Rainforest Alliance.
83. Web site: Scorpions - Australian Museum.
84. Web site: Skunks - Humane Wildlife Control, Oklahoma – The Skunk Whisperer Way . Jonathan Gibbons - Web Ventures Plus.
85. Nekaris, K.A.I., 2001. Activity budget and positional behavior of the Mysore slender loris (Loris tardigradus lydekkerianus): implications for slow climbing locomotion. Folia Primatologica, 72(4), pp.228-241
86. Web site: BBC Nature - Slow lorises videos, news and facts.
87. Web site: Spectacled Bear . https://web.archive.org/web/20100114010928/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/spectacled-bear/ . dead . January 14, 2010 . National Geographic Society . National Geographic.
88. Web site: Sylvilagus brasiliensis - Tapeti (Species) . 2012-02-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190412195725/http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MLagomorph/Leporidae/Sylvilagus/Sylvilagus_brasiliensis.htm . 2019-04-12 . dead.
89. Web site: Nocturnal Animals List . Ningthoujam . Sandhyarani . Buzzle . 2012-02-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120315023220/http://www.buzzle.com/articles/nocturnal-animals-list.html . 2012-03-15 . dead.
90. http://pp.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/tarantula.php Desert Museum
91. Web site: Tarsiers - The Big-Eyed, Ancient, Nocturnal Mammal. 21 January 2009 .
92. https://web.archive.org/web/20010222160629/http://www.agarman.dial.pipex.com/tiger.htm based on work of Peter Jackson - Chairman, Cat Specialist Group
93. Web site: Bengal Tigers . Animal Corner .
94. Clark, R. J. and Mikkola, H. (1989) A preliminary revision of threatened and near-threatened nocturnal birds of prey of the world. Pp. 371-388 in Meyburg, B.-U. and Chancellor, R.D., eds. Raptors in the modern world. Berlin and London: World Working Group on Birds of Prey and Owls.
95. Web site: White-Tailed Deer . https://web.archive.org/web/20100115132952/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/white-tailed-deer . dead . January 15, 2010 . National Geographic Society . National Geographic.
96. Johann. Franz. Handschuh. Markus. Linderoth. Peter. Dormann. Carsten F.. Arnold. Janosch. 2020-01-09. Adaptation of wild boar (Sus scrofa) activity in a human-dominated landscape. BMC Ecology. 20. 1. 4. 10.1186/s12898-019-0271-7. 1472-6785. 6953143. 31918698. free . 2020BMCE...20....4J .
97. Web site: Quick Wombat Facts . 19 January 2004 . Wombania.
98. Web site: 10 Brainy Facts About Troodon . 2014-12-12 . mentalfloss.com. en . 2019-02-06.
99. Web site: Prehistoric Planet 2 - How Good Were T.rex Senses? . 2023-05-24. youtube.com. en . 2023-05-31.
100. Web site: Dinosaurs around the clock, or how we know Velociraptor hunted by night . 2011-04-14 . Not Exactly Rocket Science . 2019-02-06.