After the sun goes down and the stars come out, the world around us comes to life. Nocturnal animals, or animals that are active during the night and sleep during the day, begin their day as the sun sets. Animals can be nocturnal for many different reasons. Some animals are awake at night to hunt because that is when their prey, the animals they eat, are most active. Others are active at night to avoid predators. These animals use adaptations, or characteristics that help the animal live in the dark. Some of the most common characteristics we see are enhanced senses. This includes things like better vision with larger eyes, better hearing or better smell. Animals you may see at night include birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects! Some animals have changed their behavior to be nocturnal, or active at night, to avoid humans. This includes animals like raccoons, opossums and skunks that live in cities and areas with more people. Some animals are active at night because of other factors, like the temperature. To avoid the summer heat, these animals sleep during the day and move more at night. Animals can be nocturnal for more than one reason! Let’s take a deeper dive into some native Texas nocturnal critters.
The squirrel family, Scuridae includes squirrels, chipmunks and prairie dogs. In Texas there are eight species or types of squirrel including flying squirrels, ground squirrels and tree squirrels. The word squirrel comes from a Greek word, skiouros which means shadow-tailed, referring to the bushy tail on certain species. Squirrels are rodents like rats, mice and beavers. All rodents have ever-growing incisors, which means their front teeth never stop growing. Their front teeth are orange because they are covered with a hard coating called enamel. Rodents must wear down their teeth so they don’t keep growing into their brain. As they grind their teeth against hard things such as tree bark, the soft tooth underneath wears down, and the enamel sharpens like a chisel. This is a trait found in all rodents.
After the sun goes down and the stars come out, the world around us comes to life. Nocturnal animals, or animals that are active during the night and sleep during the day, begin their day as the sun sets. Animals can be nocturnal for many different reasons. Some animals are awake at night to hunt because that is when their prey, the animals they eat, are most active. Others are active at night to avoid predators. These animals use adaptations, or characteristics that help the animal live in the dark. Some of the most common characteristics we see are enhanced senses. This includes things like better vision with larger eyes, better hearing or better smell. Animals you may see at night include birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects! Some animals have changed their behavior to be nocturnal, or active at night, to avoid humans. This includes animals like raccoons, opossums and skunks that live in cities and areas with more people. Some animals are active at night because of other factors, like the temperature. To avoid the summer heat, these animals sleep during the day and move more at night. Animals can be nocturnal for more than one reason! Let’s take a deeper dive into some native Texas nocturnal critters. 
The squirrel family, Scuridae includes squirrels, chipmunks and prairie dogs. In Texas there are eight species or types of squirrel including flying squirrels, ground squirrels and tree squirrels. The word squirrel comes from a Greek word, skiouros which means shadow-tailed, referring to the bushy tail on certain species. Squirrels are rodents like rats, mice and beavers. All rodents have ever-growing incisors, which means their front teeth never stop growing. Their front teeth are orange because they are covered with a hard coating called enamel. Rodents must wear down their teeth so they don’t keep growing into their brain. As they grind their teeth against hard things such as tree bark, the soft tooth underneath wears down, and the enamel sharpens like a chisel. This is a trait found in all rodents.