Nocturnal Animals Honor

Nature Study

Requirements

  1. What are nocturnal animals?

    Answer: Nocturnal animals are those that have living habits that are active during the NIGHT - when they hunt, feed, and move about - and rest or sleep during the day. E.g.: owls, bats, opossums, and many species of felines and insects. — Being nocturnal is an adaptation: many animals take advantage of the night to escape predators or the heat and to find food.

  2. How are nocturnal animals influenced by the climate they live in?

    Answer: Climate has a great influence: in hot regions, many animals become nocturnal to escape the daytime heat and water loss, becoming active in the cooler night; cold, rain, and moonlight also affect when they go out to hunt. Changes of season and temperature alter their activity periods. — The nocturnal habit is, in part, a response to climate - escaping the daytime heat is an advantage in hot environments.

  3. Choose and present the following characteristics of 2 nocturnal animals:
    • Habitat
    • Form of reproduction
    • Feeding
    • Habits

    Answer: 1) Habitat: the owl lives in woods, fields, and also in urban areas; the bat inhabits caves, tree hollows, and roof eaves. 2) Form of reproduction: the owl is oviparous, laying eggs in nests, tree hollows, or eaves and incubating them; the bat is viviparous, bearing live young and nursing them. 3) Feeding: the owl is carnivorous, feeding on rodents and insects; the bat varies by species (insects, fruit, and nectar, and a few species, blood). 4) Habits: both are nocturnal - the owl hunts at night with silent flight and keen vision and hearing; the bat goes out at night and orients itself by echolocation. — Knowing the habitat, reproduction, feeding, and habits shows how each animal has adapted to nocturnal life.

  4. Cite at least 3 nocturnal animals from the classes below:
    • Mammals
    • Insects
    • Amphibians
    • Birds
    • Reptiles

    Answer: 1) Mammals: bat, opossum, and jaguar (hunts at night). 2) Insects: moth, firefly, and cockroach. 3) Amphibians: toad, frog, and tree frog. 4) Birds: owl, nighthawk (common pauraque), and nightjar. 5) Reptiles: house gecko, some snakes, and the caiman (active at night). — There are nocturnal animals in practically every group - life in darkness is a very common strategy in nature.

  5. Discover how the senses of nocturnal animals are essential for living in darkness.

    Answer: In darkness the senses compensate for the lack of light: 1) Vision - large eyes, with many rod cells and the tapetum lucidum (a reflective layer) that multiplies the light captured (owls and felines can see almost in the dark). 2) Hearing - large, mobile ears and keen hearing locate prey by sound (the owl locates prey by noise alone). 3) Smell - very developed in mammals such as the opossum, to find food and mates. 4) Touch - whiskers (vibrissae) and sensitive hairs detect obstacles and the movement of the air. 5) Echolocation - bats emit sounds and 'see' by the echo that returns. These keen senses allow them to hunt, flee, and orient themselves without depending on daytime vision.

  6. Carry out at least 1 of the activities below:
    • Observe a domestic nocturnal animal for at least 2 days and write a report on its behavior.
    • Make a nighttime visit to an aquarium or zoo and present a report on your contact with the nocturnal animals.
  7. What are chiropterans and what are their benefits and harms to humans?

    Answer: Chiropterans are BATS - the order of flying mammals (the name means 'hand-wing'). Benefits: they control insects (including pests and mosquitoes), pollinate flowers, and disperse seeds, helping forests. Harms: some can transmit diseases (such as rabies) and the blood-feeding ones attack livestock; for this reason one should never touch bats. — Bats (chiropterans) are very useful to the environment, but they require caution because they can transmit diseases.

  8. Discover at least 3 nocturnal animals mentioned in the Bible.

    Answer: Three nocturnal animals mentioned in the Bible: 1) Owl - unclean birds and a symbol of desolate places (Leviticus 11:16-17; Isaiah 34:11; Psalm 102:6). 2) Bat - listed among the unclean animals (Leviticus 11:19; Deuteronomy 14:18). 3) Lion - which goes out to hunt at night (Psalm 104:20-21, 'you make darkness... all the beasts of the forest come out; the young lions roar'). The wolf and the fox, active at nightfall, are also mentioned.