They Come Out at Night Trivia Quiz

Answer: draculin

For Count Dracula, of course! Mealtimes aren't really like a horror movie scene. In addition to an anticoagulant, the bats also release a pain-numbing agent. Their prey don't feel the "bite," and sometimes don't even wake up while the bats eat!

Answer: Tasmanian devil

Wild Tasmanian devils are nocturnal, scavenging carrion and hunting when needed. Roadkill is a major food source. Tasmanian devils are difficult to see on the side of the road in low light, and are often hit and killed by unsuspecting drivers. This, along with a tumor disease they are susceptible to, has endangered the species' survival rate.

So be careful when driving in Tasmania!

Answer: The animals are active during dusk and early dawn

The other three answers are made up just based on the creepy-sounding word! Nocturnal creatures often come out in the early morning or just after sunset. This is usually an adaptation made by a specific sub-species to find better food or to avoid larger predators. Whatever it takes to survive the night!

Answer: hippopotamus

The only grass eater in the bunch! It was originally believed hippos stay under water in the day to protect themselves from sunburn and overheating. But some wild ones, never exposed to humans, come out in the middle of the day to eat, sunbathe, and live it up!

Answer: spectacled bear

Some, but not all have tan or golden marks encircling their eyes, hence the spectacled name. These bears eat very little meat, the least of all bears. They are a vulnerable group; poaching and habitat loss in Peru are their most serious threats.

Paddington Bear was a spectacled bear.

The other answers didn't make sense. A pangolin is closer to an anteater, and a tamarin is a kind of monkey. The sun bear lives in Asia and is not nocturnal.

Answer: scorpions

Scientists aren't completely sure what purpose the fluorescence serves. It is thought that the scorpion exoskeleton acts like a light sensor. The UV light is absorbed, then "read" by the nervous system. Scorpions prefer to hunt in total darkness. Even the full moon can sometimes cause them to stay hidden under rocks! Their extremely sensitive light detection allows them to find the best covered hiding spots. Amazing!

Answer: badger (common European)

European badgers have small, tapered, black-and-white blazed heads and powerful claws for digging. Raccoons prefer hollowed out trees or burrows dug by other animals. Wolverine dens are simple, usually in snow-covered areas. Groundhogs also tunnel extensively, but they are herbivores, and lack the markings of the badger. In fact, badgers often hunt groundhogs.

Answer: True

Cats' eyes are more than just beautiful to behold -- they can see the slightest motion in near-darkness. Mice and rodents, also active at night, don't stand a chance! Domestic cats also keep daytime schedules, but most get the "midnight crazies" every once in a while, running around at night in a burst of playful energy.

Answer: night parrot

I had never even heard of a night parrot until I was preparing this quiz. So few living birds have been found that naturalists are keeping the location(s) of the current colony a secret. These pretty parrots have green and yellow feathers with brown and black V-shaped marks.

They hide in dry grasses called spinifex during the day, and come out at night to eat seeds and plants. There is much more to learn about these mysterious birds!

Answer: to stay cool and avoid dehydration

Temperature regulation and preserving water stores makes the most sense. Animals in hot, dry, and harsh climates need to prevent losing fluid and avoid overheating as they move around energetically finding food and drink. Most nocturnal animals DO sleep or rest during the day. Most also have exceptional vision, adapted for working in low-light conditions. Animals have all different colorings, depending more on their environment and what works best to camouflage them, not what time of day or night they are awake.