While it is difficult to say which came first, nocturnality or diurnality, a hypothesis in evolutionary biology, the nocturnal bottleneck theory, postulates that in the Mesozoic, many ancestors of modern-day mammals evolved nocturnal characteristics in order to avoid contact with the numerous diurnal predators. Origins The kiwi is a family of nocturnal birds endemic to New Zealand. Cathemeral species, such as fossas and lions, are active both in the day and at night. Crepuscular species, such as rabbits, skunks, tigers and hyenas, are often erroneously referred to as nocturnal. Nocturnality helps wasps, such as Apoica flavissima, avoid hunting in intense sunlight.ĭiurnal animals, including humans (except for night owls), squirrels and songbirds, are active during the daytime. More specifically, they have been found to have a larger cornea relative to their eye size than diurnal creatures to increase their visual sensitivity: in the low-light conditions. Many nocturnal creatures including tarsiers and some owls have large eyes in comparison with their body size to compensate for the lower light levels at night.
Others, such as bushbabies and (some) bats, can function only at night. Some animals, such as cats and ferrets, have eyes that can adapt to both low-level and bright day levels of illumination (see metaturnal).
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed senses of hearing, smell, and specially adapted eyesight. The common adjective is " nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day.
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