The Topic:  Creatures of the Night

Easier - Many creatures are seldom seen by people because they rest or sleep in the daytime. These animals, birds, insects, and reptiles move around and feed mainly during the night.

 

Harder - 'Night creatures' are nocturnal. They sleep during the day and become active at night. Durnal creatures, like we humans, may seldom observe their activities.

 

Long ago, mammals moved about in darkness in order to escape predators such as dinosaurs. Some developed adaptations such as increased night-vision or hearing that suited their nighttime activities. Today several of the smaller mammals have remained nocturnal, and their predators must also be active at night in order to catch them.

 

Bat Questions

http://www.batcon.org/discover/foffaq.html

This site answers the frequently asked questions about bats.

Other Bat Sites:

2) Bats http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/bats/

3) Bats, Bats Everywhere http://members.aol.com/bats4kids/

4) The Bat Cave http://www.torstar.com/rom/batcave/index.html

5) Bat Conservation International http://www.batcon.org/

6) Fun Facts About Bats http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/adv/kidspage/bats/bats.htm

Another Bat Relative:

7) Flying Fox (from Kratts' Creatures) http://www.pbs.org/kratts/world/aust/flyingfox/index.html 

8) Bat Hangouts http://www.discovery.com/news/features/bats/bats.html

 

Creatures of the Night and You 

http://tqjunior.advanced.org/5135/

This great ThinkQuest Junior site is an exploration into the sights and sounds, truths and fictions of nocturnal and crepuscular creatures. It contains lots of pictures, myths, activities, and more!

 

Night Creatures of the Kalahari 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/kalahari/

Are you afraid of the dark? Meet some creatures who aren't on this site that explores the mysterious world of nocturnal animals. 

 

Owls by 42eXplore

http://eduscapes.com/42explore/owls.htm

Lots of great links on the topic of owls.

Other 42eXplore Night Creatures:

2) Bats http://eduscapes.com/42explore/bats.htm

Animals of the Night  

Astonishing Armadillo

http://pandoras-box.org/my05026.htm

Learn about this unusual animal.

More armadillo links:

2) Nine-banded Armadillo http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/wild/mammals/dillo.htm

3) Armadillos http://www.wildtexas.com/wildguides/armadillo.htm

4) Armadillo http://www.flex.net/~lonestar/armadillo.htm

 

Beaver (Hinterland Who's Who, Canadian Wildlife Service) 

http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hww-fap/beaver/beaver.html

Here you can learn all about the beaver including their habits, characteristics, and life history.

Other Sites About Beaver:

2) Beaver: Castor canadensis http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/beaver.htm

3) Beaver http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/beaver.htm

4) Beaver http://www.nature.ca/notebooks/english/beaver.htm

 

Coyotes

http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/coyote.htm

This website contains interesting facts about this interesting animal.

Other coyote sites:

2) Coyote (Canis latrans) http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/coyote.htm

3) Desert Coyote http://www.desertusa.com/june96/du_cycot.html

4) Coyote http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hww-fap/coyote/coyote.html

 

Raccoon: Procyon lotor (California Department of Fish and Game) 

http://www2.delta.dfg.ca.gov/gallery/raccoon.html

More raccoon sites:

2) Raccoon http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/raccoon.htm

3) Raccoons http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/raccoon.htm

 

Red Fox 

http://www.floodlight-findings.com/2redfox/redfox.html

Here you can read about the red fox and view several pictures.

More Fox websites:

2) Red Fox http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/redfox.htm

3) Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) http://www.primenet.com/~brendel/fox.html

4) Fennec Fox (Fennecus zerda) http://www.sazoo-aq.org/02meet/02sublinks/fennec.html

5) Swift fox (Hinterland Who's Who, Canadian Wildlife Service)

http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hww-fap/fox/fox.html

6) Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/redfox.htm

7) Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus) http://tqjunior.advanced.org/3500/arctic_fox.htm

Skunks Website at Naturescapes

http://www.eduscapes.com/nature/skunk/

See the new skunk page at naturescapes. (3 levels of difficulty) 

More Skunk Websites:

1) Skunk Information http://www.accs.net/users/whyden/skunkfaq.htm

2) Mephitis mephitis: Striped Skunk http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/mephitis/m._mephitis

3) Living with Skunks http://www.projectwildlife.org/living-skunks.htm

4) Skunk http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/skunk.htm

And Some Opossum Links:

4) Opossum http://www.schoolnet.ca/vp-pv/mammals/e/list29.html

5) Opossum Rescue http://www.possumrescue.com/

6) Possum http://www.ozramp.net.au/~senani/possum.htm#Possum-Possum

7) Living with Opossum http://www.projectwildlife.org/living-opossum.htm

8) Opossum Tracks http://www.bear-tracker.com/opossum.html

 

Birds of the Night 

The Owl Pages 

http://www.owlpages.com/

The Owl has fascinated man from time immemorial and has appeared frequently in mythology and superstition - to some cultures they are symbols of wisdom, while to others they represent malevolent spirits or harbingers of doom and death. Here, the Owl Pages attempts to shed some light on these mysterious creatures of the night.

More Links for Owls:

2) Owls of North America http://www.owlpages.com/n_american_owls.html

3) Great Horned Owl http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hww-fap/hww-fap.cfm?ID_species=17&lang=e

4) Jennifer's Owl Page http://oz.uc.edu/~verriljr/

 

Insects of the Night

Moths of North America 

(Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey)

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/mothsusa.htm

Here you can find distribution maps, photos of adults and caterpillars, information about characteristics, habitat, food and much more.

Other Moth Sites:

2) Cecropia Moth - Life Cycle http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/5479/

3) Identification of Major Families of Moths http://www.furman.edu/~snyder/leplist/identify.htm

 

The Firefly Files 

http://IRIS.biosci.ohio-state.edu/projects/FFiles/

This site contains information about Lightning Bug biology. You will find answers to your questions about this amazing bioluminescent insect, references for further study, and activities for both kids and adults.

Other firefly websites:

2) Fireflies http://www.firefly-selangor-msia.com/firefly.htm

3) Learning the Secrets of Fireflies

http://aso.jhs.choyo.kumamoto.jp/choyo-es/choyo-es96/choyo-es1001e.html

 

Our Third Grade Bat Pages

http://stoutamire.com/sharon/Bats/

Pages about bat books, pictures drawn, and stories written.

 

Bats in South Dakota

http://kids-learn.org/stellaluna/frost.htm

Information and pictures by kids in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

 

Teacher - Lesson Idea Sites

Nocturnal Animals WebQuest

http://tli.jefferson.k12.ky.us/edtd675/tliprojects/mcginnis/WebQuest.htm

Research a nocturnal animal and design a brochure about this animal.

 

Skunks: Sweet or Smelly? WebQuest

http://www.eduscapes.com/nature/skunk/act.htm

New Webquest at Naturescapes on skunks.

 

After Dark Friends 

http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/teach/after_dark.html

Here is a brief art & science lesson plan that asks Grade 3-4 students to gather information regarding nocturnal creatures such as owls, raccoons, opossum, or bats, and to share it in class.

 

Bats: Creatures of the Night by Marcie Claeys 

http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/YLP/96-97/96-97_mini_units/Bats_MClaeys/bat.html

This plan was developed to be a two week thematic unit on bats. It incorporates a combination of science discovery centers, small group activities, and whole group discussions.

 

Creatures in the Dark

http://www.indiana.edu/~tickit/projectgallery/projects/rthieneman2.htm

This is a lesson for grades 4-6 on night creatures.

 

Goin' Batty

http://www.thinkquest.org/library/lib/site_sum_outside.html?tname=5813&cid=2&url=5813/

Learn about the myths of these amazing creatures as well as activities links.

Other Bat Lesson Plans:

2) "Bats" Lesson Plans Outline (Grade K -1) http://avocado.dade.k12.fl.us/projects/bats/lesplans.html

3) Bats: Creatures of the Night (Grade 2)

http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/YLP/96-97/96-97_mini_units/Bats_MClaeys/bat.html

4) Going Batty (Grade 3) http://www.davison.k12.mi.us/elementary/bats.htm

5) Going Batty (Kindergarten) http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/2221/bat.html

6) Stella Luna Bat Quest http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/chavez/batquest/stella.html

 

Owl Prowl: About This Project 

http://kids-learn.org/owlprowl/project.htm

Every participating class will research an owl in their environment. If there are no owls in the area, the class may choose an owl that they would like to study. Students will write reports, draw pictures, poems, and stories about owls. Projects are submitted to the Owl Prowl site.

 

Great Horned Owl WebQuest

http://www.qesnrecit.qc.ca/schools/pcartier/owlquest.htm

You are to work in teams as reporters investigating the Great Horned Owl.

 

 

nocturnal	animal	moth	opossum	owl	nighttime
creature	crepuscular	specie	firefly	insects	plants
armadillo	astronomy	sky	skunk	wolves	coyote
fox	beaver	lightning bug	raccoon	owl	durnal
bat	caves	moonlight	dusk	dawn	night vision