Daytime and Nighttime Animals

When the sun goes down

When you go to bed at night, the world does not go to sleep. While you are tucked up cosy, lots of animals are just waking up! Some animals like the daytime, and some like the night. Let's find out about both.

Daytime animals

Animals that are awake in the daytime are called diurnal animals. They like to be busy when the sun is shining and it is light and warm. At night, when it gets dark, they curl up and go to sleep, just like you.

Lots of animals you know are daytime animals:

• A honeybee 🐝 buzzes around flowers all day long.
• A butterfly 🦋 flutters in the warm sunshine.
• A squirrel 🐿️ runs about looking for nuts in the day.
• A chicken 🐔 pecks for food and goes to roost when it gets dark.

Dogs, sheep and horses are daytime animals too. So are you and your family!

Nighttime animals

Animals that are awake at night are called nocturnal animals. While the daytime animals are sleeping, these night animals wake up, stretch, and go out to find their food. When the sun comes up in the morning, they go back to bed.

Here are some nocturnal animals:

• An owl 🦉 hunts for mice in the dark.
• A bat 🦇 flies out at dusk to catch insects.
• A hedgehog 🦔 snuffles through the garden at night looking for worms and slugs.
• A fox 🦊 trots quietly through the streets when everyone is asleep.

How night animals see and hear in the dark

It is hard to find food when it is dark. So night animals have special superpowers to help them!

Big eyes for seeing. An owl has huge eyes. Big eyes let in more light, a little like opening a window wider to let in more sunshine. This helps the owl see a tiny mouse moving in the moonlight.

Sharp ears for hearing. Many night animals have brilliant hearing. An owl can hear the soft rustle of a mouse in the grass, even when it cannot see it. It turns its head to listen carefully, then swoops down without a sound.

A clever nose for smelling. A hedgehog and a fox both have a very good sense of smell. They sniff the ground to find worms, beetles and other food in the dark.

Sound and echoes. A bat has an amazing trick. It makes high squeaks that we cannot hear, then listens for the sound bouncing back. The echoes tell the bat where things are, so it can fly and catch insects in the dark without bumping into anything. This is called echolocation.

Why come out at night?

Why would an animal choose to be awake in the dark? There are good reasons!

In hot places, the daytime sun is fierce and scorching. Coming out at night, when it is cool, helps animals stay comfortable and not get too hot.

Night is also a good time to hide. When it is dark, it is harder for bigger animals to spot you. So coming out at night helps some small animals stay safe and find food in peace.

Look and listen: a night nature walk

With a grown-up, go to a window or step outside just after the sun has gone down. Stay quiet and still. What can you hear? You might hear an owl hooting, twit-twoo, or see a bat flitting across the sky. Look up at the moon and stars.

In the morning, look for clues that night animals left behind. Has anything been nibbling the plants? Are there little footprints in the mud?

Different animals are busy at different times. To meet some bugs that come out in the day, read Minibeasts and Bugs. And to learn where these animals sleep and hide, visit Animals and Their Homes.