With the majority of the human population usually sleeping through the night, not many people get the opportunity to see the thriving ‘nightlife’ in the wild.
For people who are curious about the creatures who populate nature’s nightscape, here’s a look at the many not-so-creepy crawlers that come out once it gets dark.
#1 Fennec Fox
There are numerous fox species that prefer to keep nocturnal lives to accommodate their living arrangements. One of them is the adorable Fennec fox which is best known for their large, wing-like ears.
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Orest Sv via Pexels
#2 Gray Fox
Another nocturnal kind of fox is the gray fox which typically takes residence in the woody areas of North America. During the day, they tend to burrow themselves in the hollows of trees numerous feet above the ground.
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Jonathan Pie via Unsplash
#3 Red Fox
When living in rural areas, red foxes can be seen out and about numerous times in the daytime. However, when living in more urban areas, they adjust their schedule to be active at night to avoid people.
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Ana Gic via PixaBay
#4 Night Stalkers
Red foxes are the literal ‘night stalkers’ as they are nighttime hunters noted to stalk their prey like cats. What’s more, the four-legged animals are quite adept at hearing low-frequency sounds.
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Claudia Meyer via FreeImages
#5 African and Asian Civets
If you think that this whiskered-animal looks awfully familiar, you’d be correct to think that they’re somehow related to cats. Another interesting fact about these nocturnal cuties is that they’re also used in some Asian countries to help fertilize a popular type of coffee.
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Sipa via PixaBay
#6 Raccoon
Known for their mischievous antics, it may not come as a surprise that these adorable bandits prefer the cover of darkness to go about their day to day (or is that night to night?) activities.
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FunkWD via PixaBay
#7 Caught in the Act
If you live near wooded areas, you may want to keep a watchful eye out at night for possible trash can and recycling bin thieving raccoon that may come visiting while you sleep.
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Jondolar Schnurr via PixaBay
#8 Badger
While they may look similar to troublemaker raccoons, badgers are more mellow in terms of their nighttime activities. They typically just feast the night away on earthworms and other prey.
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PBarlowArt via PixaBay
#9 Hungry Badger
In fact, one adult badger can actually consume around 200 worms a night. However, if they can’t find their favorite treat, they’d also settle for fallen fruits and snails.
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George Hodan via Public Domain Pictures
#10 Bats
Bats are probably the most popular among all the night dwellers. They’ve even become synonymous with the night itself and the general feeling of spookiness.
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Angeleses via Canva
#11 Insect Hunters
Contrary to popular belief, bats don’t spend their nights communing with monsters or looking for people to terrify. They actually just spend their time catching insects or looking for other food sources.
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Cheryl Empey via Free Images
#12 Flight Technique
However, they do live up to their cool reputation. To navigate in the dark, bats use high-pitched squeaks and echoes to find their way around.
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M Nota via Free Images
#13 Fruit Bat
While most bats eat creepy crawlers like beetles; megabats, also known as fruit bats, eat sweet things.
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Susan Aken via PixaBay
#14 Cave Dwellers
Bats often take shelter inside caves during the day. They sleep hanging on caves’ stony ceilings to keep out of reach from threats.
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Seagul via PixaBay
#15 Do Not Disturb
Bats are the ultimate sleepyheads spending 20 hours in slumber a day. No wonder they make most of the short time they roam at night.
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Seagul via PixaBay
#16 Pest Control
Another cool thing about bats is that they actually help in pest control. A single bat is capable of consuming up to 1,000 mosquitoes and insects in just an hour.
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Rnoid via PixaBay
#17 More Bats
Meanwhile, bats who prefer to eat fruit and nectar from flowers are rather important when it comes to pollination. While they may not be pretty by everyone’s standards, you can still say that bats are the butterflies of the night.
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Zdeněk Macháček via Unsplash
#18 Frogs
There’s a good reason why you never really hear the ribbits of frogs during the daytime. Most species of frogs actually prefer to go undetected during the day and stay active at night.
#19 Red-Eyed Tree Frog
Also known as Agalychnis callidryas, these frogs are known for their neon green color which is a means to deter possible predators.
#20 Green Tree Frog
The green tree frog is a popular pet and is typically found in the backyard of American homes. They’ve even become the state amphibian of Louisiana and Georgia.
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Lance Palmer via Free Images
#21 Toad
Contrary to popular belief, frogs and toads are not the same thing. They belong in the same group but come from different families. However, a common trait they have is their nocturnal activities.
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Andre Carvalho via Free Images
#22 All In the Skin
To differentiate the two nighttime amphibians, just remember that frogs typically have smooth and slimy skin while toads have bumpy and dry skin.
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Lilla Frerichs via Public Domain Pictures
#23 Poisonous Crawlers
While they may look harmless and maybe even cute, some toads can be dangerous, especially when licked by pets, who may ingest poison secreted by toads.
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Kevin Casper via Public Domain Pictures
#24 Also Dangerous
Meanwhile, frogs also secrete poison from their skin. It’s worth noting that some species only produce weak poison while others are deadly.
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Domenic Hoffmann via Pixabay
#25 Fun with Toads
If you’re up for it, though, toads actually make for good pets and can live rather long in captivity.
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Travelspot via PixaBay
#26 Backyard Photography
And if you enjoy night photography, toads and frogs are some of the most accessible and easily-spotted nocturnal animals that you can find.
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Brett Hendow via PixaBay
#27 Getting Creative
Here’s further proof that frogs are just about everywhere.
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Sandid via PixaBay
#28 Deer
While deer are actually crepuscular animals, meaning they stay active at dusk and dawn, some deer will move their activities further into the night in attempts to veer away from humans.
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William Isted via Unsplash
#29 Reindeer
The reindeer, which is one of the most popular members of the deer family, are among the last animals that humanity domesticated.
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Ozgu Ozden via Unsplash
#30 Hedgehog
Living up to their name, hedgehogs are typically found at night in, you guessed it, hedges where they look for food.
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Christoph Burgdorfer via Free Images
#31 Unique Trait
Unlike their fellow night creatures, hedgehogs aren’t gifted with the best eyesight for nocturnal living. Thus, they mainly use their senses of smell and hearing to look for food.
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Ali Taylor via Free Images
#32 Staring Closely
That being said, this cute hedgehog is probably thankful for the camera flash that helped him find a leaf he likes.
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Ali Taylor via Free Images
#33 Curled Up
When inactive, hedgehogs typically hide and curl themselves up into a ball, making sure their protective spikes are out.
#34 Not Picky Eaters
While they prefer eating insects, hedgehogs aren’t really picky about their choice of food. The animal will eat all things from eggs to slugs.
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Angeles Balaguer via Pixabay
#35 Leopard
The leopard is probably one of the nocturnal animals you wouldn’t want to encounter in the dead of night.
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Yinan Chen via Public Domain Pictures
#36 Tree Dwellers
Perhaps due to their feline genes, leopards have a knack for climbing and resting in high places. They usually do this by day when they’re looking to rest.
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Rene Bernal via Unsplash
#37 Dinner Table
Their tree also doubles as a safe place for them to drag and eat their prey when night comes. A good example is this female leopard from the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve in South Africa.
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Joe McDaniel via Unsplash
#38 Opossum
While some people may not like having the nightcrawler around, opossums can actually serve as tools for pest control in the garden as they enjoy things like snails, beetles, and slugs.
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Joyce Lewis via Public Domain Pictures
#39 Owl
Of course, no list of nocturnal creatures will be complete without a mention of the majestic bird that is the owl.
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Sheila Rosamond via Free Images
#40 Great Grey Owl
Like bats, owls have become synonymous with the night and all the things associated with it. It’s worth noting, though, that not all owls are strictly night creatures as some species are actually crepuscular.
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Fons Reijsbergen via Free Images
#41 Two Nocturnal Creatures Meet
As expected, night creatures, since they have similar schedules, often run into each other. Unfortunately, not everyone ends up happy after these encounters.
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Jude Lattaway via Free Images
#42 Varied Diet
Owls’ diets differ depending on their size. For example, screech owls thrive on insects while eagle owls eat prey as large as hares.
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Darren Danks via Free Images
#43 Opportunistic Creatures
In the end, though, owls are still opportunistic hunters and would typically go for prey they find within their vicinity.
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Elisa Way via Pixabay
#44 Domestic Cat
If you’re looking for cute nocturnal animals, you need not go far. While their sleeping schedule may be all over the place, house cats exhibit some nocturnal activities due to their ancestry.
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Deedster via Pixabay
#45 Feline Adventures
Don’t worry if you start noticing your pet cat get extra active or energetic at night or at the crack of dawn.
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StockSnap via Pixabay
#46 Night Strays
If you don’t own a cat, you can observe that outdoor cats seem to increase in number at night when they begin roaming the streets.
#47 Cat Shenanigans
Your cat’s nocturnal behaviors are typically harmless. Well, that is, until they get to climbing trees and can’t get down.
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Ilse Düngelhoef via Pixabay
#48 Rat
Speaking of cats, their nemesis and prey also happens to be a fellow creature of the night.
#49 Hermit Crab
Hermit crabs which dwell on land are known for being nocturnal. This night schedule is said to be a means for them to avoid the hottest hours of the day.
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Martin Str via Pixabay
#50 Better Watch Out
While you’re busy looking out for nighttime animals, they might just be hiding and observing you themselves. With frogs watching you, there’s really not much to be worried about, though.
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Sheila Brown via Public Domain Pictures
#51 Bobcat
Although, you might be a little worried when it’s a wild bobcat that’s doing the stalking, they may look as adorable as house cats, but they’re far more aggressive.
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skeeze via Pixabay
#52 Luna Moth
Of course, the night is also filled with plenty of nocturnal insects. One of the most popular is the aptly named luna moth.
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PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay
#53 Short Life
Luna moths aren’t at all rare. However, they’re not spotted as often because of their rather short lifespan.
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ThuyHaBich via Pixabay
#54 Small Crawlers
The moth, although larger than most butterflies, is still quite small, growing to just about four and a half inches.
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Juanita De Paola via Free Images
#55 Lionfish
Just like on land, the sea is also thriving with life even at night. The lionfish is one of the creatures that comprise this aquatic nightlife.
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Free-Photos via Pixabay
#56 Home Observation
Their nocturnal nature can still be observed even while they’re living in captivity in a home aquarium. They usually retreat to hide in coral crevices during the daytime.
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Christine Sponchia via Pixabay
#57 Wolf
The wolf may be a famous nocturnal animal, but wolf sightings can be rare in many areas. This may be for the best, as the animal is opportunistic one, and a carnivore.
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Ray Hennessy via Unsplash
#58 Lion
Like their feline cousins, the lions of the African Savannah are mostly active during dark times and usually sleeps 20 hours throughout the day.
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David Clode via Unsplash
#59 On the Hunt
Like wolves, humans won’t want to encounter this animal, especially at night. There are actually reports of these large cats preying on humans.
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David Clode via Unsplash
#60 Jackal
The jackal is a cousin of domestic dogs and wolves. While they’re mainly crepuscular, they can also be active at night.
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Source: Wired
