Top 10 Most Beautiful Nocturnal Animals In The World

Nature’s beauty is captivating and alluring during day time. Little do we know that night time despite offering quietude and sound sleep also has beauty which flourishes at night showing a different existence of the world in the same ecosystem. There are animals who come out at night, they are known as nocturnal animals. They often hide in their burrows during day time to escape the day temperature or to avoid predators.

These animals are gifted with special abilities to survive during night time. They either have some eyesight which enables them to see in low lights or hearing abilities to find their prey or their biological clock is activated which lets them stay awake at night. Let us see the Top 10 Most Beautiful Nocturnal Animals In The World.

10. Firefly

They are also known as lightning bugs. The peculiar characteristic is due to bioluminescence on the abdomen. Fireflies produce light with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies at twilight to attract their mates or prey. They are found in tropical or temperate climates.They are also known as glow worms during their larval stage.

9. Slow loris

Slow Loris is the slowest animal in the world found in Southeast Asia. There are five different species of Slow Loris in the world. They appear at night to forage for food. They are omnivores and feed on insects, small birds, and worms, etc. They have large eyes which helps them to see at night, also their hearing senses are more active at night to hear and sense any prey.

They are noticed for their distinct features, they have human-like hands which helps them to have a firm grip on branches of trees. During day time they are slept on trees or in the crevices.

8. Red-eyed tree frog

During the daytime, you may often see a red spot on a green tree. Do not miss it next time it could be a red-eyed frog that has camouflaged its body with the color of leaves. They are found in the lowland rainforest of Central America and Mexico.

They are nocturnal who appears at night. The purpose of large red eyes is that they create an illusion in predator mind that it could be a large animal with such large eyes.

7. Red panda

Red panda does not belong to the panda category they have their own classification known as Ailuridae. They are often smaller in size as compared to the giant panda. They sleep during the day on trees and often come out at night to forage food.

They are hunted for their brown fur hence endangered animals. They are found in the eastern Himalayas in India and China. It is said they exhibit these characteristic to protect themselves from predators such as snow leopards.

6. Bats

A horror film never fails to scare its audience by having bats in their films. It is a widely famous nocturnal animal known. Bats are gifted with echolocation power i.e. When they produce a sound and if the sound comes back in the same direction, they will know some object or animal is there.

This helps them to catch their prey. They are often found hanging upside down on trees during the day. Bats are the only mammals who can fly.

5. Hyenas

An extinct animal but most essential in an African forest. They are regarded as dangerous in many cultures. Hyenas morphologically fall in the canine category. They live in groups. They come out at night to catch their preys but they sometimes are seen at early morning hours as well.

4. Raccoon

Raccoons are the most dexterous animals. They are seen during the day as well, but a search for food begins during night time. They are mostly found in the wooded forest in North America. They eat almost anything like insects, eggs, fish, nuts, and fruits. They have a sharp vision to forage food during the night.

Their brown fur and black mass on the face which helps them to camouflage during night time and protect from predators. They mostly seem as pests as they often rummage through the garbage to find food.

3. Barn owls

Barn owls are animals found across the world except for Antarctica. They are found in urban dwellings as well as in the forest. They remain dormant during the day in their holes and often hunt at night. Their distinct heart face and jagged wings are a sight to behold. They have special adaptations for their nocturnal hunting. They have sharp eyesight.

Their ears are situated outside which helps them to hear a minute sounds. Their large plumage helps them in muffling the sound of their flight. Their brown and grey spotting camouflage them better. Their sharp talons and beak are useful in catching the prey better.

2. The Luna moth

They appear at night and are often spotted near outdoor lights. They have wide hind wings, curvy tails at the bottom and distinctive eyespots on four wings. Their wings span may be up to 3-4 inches green in color.

Male and female appear the same only difference is male antennas are more feathery. They are found in hardwood deciduous forests of North America. They appear as egg and plump into a lime green color caterpillar with tiny orange spots and feed on white birch, sweetgum and alder trees.

After transcending from caterpillar, it forms a brown cocoon around itself and transforms into an adult moth. The adult moth doesn’t eat anything and dies after 7 days. The only purpose of their survival is to mate and reproduce.

1. Sugar Gliders

As the name says it all these animals have special features of gliding. Their wrist and ankles are connected with a special membrane that initiates their movement. Their food consist of sugary fruits or vegetables. Hence the name Sugar Gliders.

They are found in the forests of Australia and Indonesia. They have big large eyes that provide vision at night and their hearing sense is active which aids in looking for their prey. They can also be kept as a pet unless they don’t break your sleep with their nocturnal activities.

These top ten nocturnal animals with their special features and distinct abilities help them to survive and balance the ecosystem.