This animal’s name means “roller,” for its ability to roll itself into a scaly ball when threatened. Read and learn about opossums in Opossums (Creatures of the Forest Habitat) by Ada Quinlivan. Possum moms can have as many as 25 babies at once! They ride in Mama’s pouch for two months and then on her back for another month. They can lie still for hours and slow their breathing to play dead. Their handy prehensile tails can grip branches to let them hang upside down. OpossumĪlso called possums, these woodland marsupials have lots of cool skills. Read and learn about coyotes in Coyote Moon by Maria Gianferrari and Bagram Ibatoulline. In populated areas, coyotes hunt at night to avoid people, but in uninhabited areas they may be awake during the day. Humans encourage coyotes to be nocturnal. They are born in spring and learn to hunt on their own by fall. These smart hunters can live in almost any habitat and eat almost anything! Coyotes usually live in a pack of extended family members. Read and learn about foxes in How To Find a Fox by Kate Gardner. And how cool is it that they use the earth’s magnetic fields to help them find and catch their prey? Foxes are introverted-they tend to live alone or with a small family group called a “skulk.” Their super-sensitive ears can even allow them to hear rodents digging under the ground. Foxįoxes’ eyes are specially designed to be extra-intense for nighttime hunting. Read and learn about bats in The Bat Book by Charlotte Milner. They can eat thousands of insects in a single night! Bats sometimes get a bad rap for being creepy pests, but they are actually essential for plant pollination and pest control in many areas. There are over 1,400 bat species, found everywhere except the most severe desert and polar climates. Batīats are the world’s only flying mammal, earning them a special spot on our nocturnal animals list. Read and learn about sugar gliders in the “Glide, Sugar Glider!” chapter of The Nocturnals Explore Unique Adaptations of Nighttime Animals by Tracey Hecht. They make many different sounds and also use their own signature scents to communicate with one another. These mini marsupials, native to Australia, can soar through the air up to 165 feet with their parachute-like bodies. With its candy-coated name and funny habits, sugar gliders are at the top of many kids’ favorite nocturnal animals list. Read and learn about owls in So You Want To Be an Owl by Jane Porter. Owls swallow their prey whole and cough up the bones and fur in owl pellets try dissecting them for an amazing hands-on project. Their eyes are shaped like binoculars, letting them hone in on prey from far away. From the tiny elf owl to the impressive great gray owl, owls’ excellent hearing and near-silent feathers make them the stealthiest nighttime hunters. Owls are some of the most majestic creatures on our nocturnal animals list. Read and learn about raccoons in Raccoon Rescue: True Tales of Rescue by Kama Einhorn. Raccoon tracks are great fun to spot in snow or mud-their five long toes look just like mini-handprints. Urban raccoons eat garbage, compost, and pet food too. Their omnivorous diet includes fruit, vegetables, small rodents, and fish. These masked mischief-makers are known for seizing opportunities to eat or explore while their human neighbors are sleeping (or sometimes, during the day). We only recommend items our team loves!) Nocturnal Animal Facts and Nonfiction Books 1. (Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. Not sure how to tell a sugar glider from a raccoon? We’ve pulled together a list of nocturnal animals that includes wow-worthy facts and books you can take straight to your students. What kid doesn’t love the idea of staying awake and snacking all night like nocturnal animals do? Animals that are active during the day and sleep at night are awesome to study when talking about animal adaptations or to focus on during a nonfiction text unit.
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