Animal Kingdom: The Excellent Night Hunters

If human have what we call “night owls”, the animal kingdom has true night creatures. No matter how late we may stay out in the evenings, we simply cannot compete with the nocturnal hunters. Possessing highly developed sense of smell, remarkable night vision and exceptional hearing ability, these animals  have adapted to living in darkness in intriguing ways. Here is a list of top ten nocturnal animals.

1. Owl
Owls are nocturnal birds of prey, comprising of 200 different species. They are found worldwide except Antarctica, inhabiting rainforests, wooded areas, grasslands and tundra.  One unique feature owls have are their eyes that are face forwards unlike other birds that have theirs on  the side. Though they have to move their entire head in order to look around, the eyes placement allows them an excellent binocular vision.  Also, owls make almost silent flight because their thick plumage absorb the sounds their wings make in flight.  Owls sleep during the day and hunt for prey at night. Their diet consisting of rodents, frogs, fish, other birds and other small mammals. Owls are stealth hunters and use their extremely well developed hearing and eye-sight to locate prey in the dark.

2. Flying Squirrel

The flying squirrels (Petauristini), are a tribe of squirrels (family Sciuridae) consisting 43 extant species. This nocturnal gliding mammal that is not capable of sustained flight has developed an unusual way of navigating its way along trees branches. Flying squirrel glides from trees by spreading its legs wide apart that have loose skin connecting its front and hind legs. The tail serves as a stabilizer in flight and steering is controlled by adjusting tightness of the patagium. Flying squirrels have large eyes, clawed feet and brown-gray fur. They are most active at night preying on insects, small animals, small birds and eggs. However, flying squirrels mostly feed on leaves, seeds, flowers, nuts, bulbs, bark and roots.

3. Mink
The mink (Mustela vison) is a member of the weasel family that have two extant species: the American Mink and the European Mink. They are found throughout North America, northern Europe and Russia inhabiting along lakes, rivers, ponds, streams and marshes. They have long, slender upper body and short legs. Minks distinguishable feature is its dark brown fur that turns white at the chin and runs to black at the tips of their tails. Adult males can grow to 21 to 24 inches long and weigh 2 to 3.75 pounds. They are nocturnal animals that preys on rodents, frogs, rabbits, birds, muskrats, fish, crayfish waterfowl eggs. Minks have developed a remarkable sense of smell in order to adapt to hunting in darkness. They rely on their noses to sniff  on locating possible prey as well as using their noses to communicate with each other.

4. Honey Badger
The Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis), also known as the Ratel, is a member of the Mustelidae family that are found in Asia and Africa. They inhabit arid grasslands forested regions and savannahs. Honey badger  have distinct, unique markings: solid black short legs, stout claws and short tail. Also, its head, neck and back are covered with rough, white fur. Ratels live in burrows and emerge from their burrows at night to catch prey and survive in their natural environment. Its diet includes: reptiles, small mammals, rodents, ants, termites, fruits and berries. However, ratels simply love honey and thorough the help of certain species of birds, they are led to bees' nests.  by a variety of birds known as "honey guides." About a dozen different species of birds work in conjunction with the ratel in a unique array of behaviours. The bird will find an active bees' nest and then locate a ratel within the vicinity. Using their strong legs, claws, and teeth, bsdgers have an easy time getting to the honey inside. When a honey badger breaks into the nest, the birds take their share too, satisfying themselves with the wax and bee larvae.

5. Slow Loris
The slow loris is a slow moving nocturnal, tree-dwelling primate that is found across southeast Asia inhabiting tropical forests. It has a rounded face with large eyes and small ears. It has a dense, soft yellowish-brown coat with a black stripe running along its back. Slow loris has short toes and fingers with opposable thumbs. It averages 9 to 15 in. in body length and weighs 1 to 3.3 lbs.  Since it has a small tail, slow loris depends on its powerful hands and feet to anchor itself on trees as it moves slowly along branches.  Slow lorises are skilled  climbers and can hang from branches using their feet alone. Though slow, it has a cunning way of catching its prey; setting an ambush and strike its victim with  a swift movement. Its diet includes: small animals, insects, fruits, shoots and bird eggs.

6. Catfish
Catfish (order Siluriformes) are a large group of bony fish. These nocturnal scavengers, busied their day searching for foods at the bottom of shallow waters. catfish which are known for their barbels (similar to cat’s whiskers) come in different sizes: from the heaviest, the Mekong giant catfish, the longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, and the candiru (a tiny parasitic species).  There is also a known species of catfish that can “walk” on land. This catfish uses its pectoral fins and tail to ‘walk’ is across land during the night in search of deeper ponds.

7. Tarantulas
There are about 900 extant species of taratulas belonging to the family Theraphosidae. These large and hairy spiders are found worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and arid regions living in rain forests, deserts, and other habitats. These nocturnal spiders usually hunt prey in trees while other species hunt on or near the ground. Ambush is their prime method of catching prey that includes insects and other arthropods. Tarantulas kill their prey using venomous fangs. After a large meal, the tarantula may not need to eat for a month. The biggest tarantulas can kill animals as large as lizards, frogs, mice, and birds.

8. Hedgehogs
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae that  are native to Africa, Asia, Europe and New Zealand. There are 16 species of hedgehog in five genera. They are easily recognized by their spines, which are hollow hairs made stiff with keratin. The hedgehog's body averages 7 to 14 inches long, weighs about 1/2 lb to 1.5 lbs  and the tail is about 1/2 inch long. All hedgehogs are primarily nocturnal - spending its days sleeping in hollows, bush, grass, or in a hole in the ground, it saves enough energy to hunt for prey during the cooler nights.  Hedgehog’s diet includes: lizards, snakes, insects, mice, toads, slugs frogs, worms small birds, caterpillars as well as plants and fruits.  It will eat eggs from the nests of birds. Hedgehogs will hibernate (sleep through the winter) in very cold climates and aestivate (sleep through dry summers) in hot deserts.

9. Foxes
A fox is an animal belonging to any one of 12 species of the Vulpes genus ('true foxes'). They are small to medium-sized animals that have of small to medium-sized canids, characterized by possessing a long, slim nose, and a bushy tail (brush). The most common species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) that has red/brown fur. Red fox can grow up to 50-90cm, in body length and weighs about 6-10kg. Red foxes possessing excellent senses of smell, hearing, and sight, are primarily active at dusk and night. They are solitary, but  at times comes together in a pack. The diet of foxes includes: rodents, snakes, rabbits, amphibians, fish, birds, fruits, grasses, eggs, and all other kinds of small animals.

10. Bats
Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera They are the only mammals that are extremely well-equipped for nocturnal activity. They fly and hunt by “echolation,” which means that they can “see” acoustically. By emitting high-pitched sounds and listening to the echoes, also known as sonar, microbats locate prey and other nearby objects. This allows them to navigate in total darkness.