Nocturnality

Nocturnality is a pattern of being active mainly at night. It occurs across animal species and is shaped by ecological pressures, physiology, and environmental conditions.

Circadian rhythm: An internal cycle of roughly 24 hours that regulates physiology and behavior. It helps synchronize night activity with the daily light–dark cycle.
Nocturnal animal: An animal whose activity is concentrated mainly during nighttime. These animals display nocturnality across a wide range of habitats.
Photoperiodism: A biological response to the relative lengths of day and night. Seasonal changes in daylight can alter when nocturnal animals reproduce or forage.
Temporal niche partitioning: The division of ecological resources through differences in the times species are active. Nocturnality can reduce competition with species that forage by day.
Melatonin: A hormone that signals biological night and helps regulate sleep timing in many animals. Its release often rises in darkness, coordinating night-associated physiology.
Predator avoidance: Behaviors and traits that reduce the chance of being detected or killed by predators. Shifting activity to night can reduce encounters with daytime predators.
Crepuscular animal: An animal most active around dawn and dusk. Crepuscular schedules occupy twilight rather than the night-centered period.
Night pollination syndrome: A suite of floral traits associated with pollination by animals active at night. Night-active pollinators have helped shape flower traits such as pale color and scent.
Scotopic vision: Vision under low-light conditions, mediated mainly by rod photoreceptors. It explains how many nocturnal animals detect shapes when color vision is limited.
Foraging: The search for and acquisition of food by an organism. Night activity can let animals exploit food resources unavailable or risky by day.

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