Snapshot Serengeti Talk

Nighttime

  • mudpupster by mudpupster

    I'm amazed at the number of animals that just seem to hang about eating at night. That seems to be a good way to get eaten themselves. Do the large predators not hunt at night?

    (Loving this site, by the way. Great way to spend a rainy weekend.)

    Posted

  • LoraO by LoraO moderator

    Glad to hear that you enjoy the site!

    Large predators do hunt at night. In fact, lions in particular have some of their most successful hunts in the darker hours. Other non-carnivorous animals such as the aardwolf come out at night to eat as well (which primarily dine on termites).

    This nightly activity may be due to being an opportunistic hunter, but it's also because of the intense heat of the daylight hours.

    (I will pass your question along to one of the scientists in case they have something more to chip in!)

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  • Veegee by Veegee

    I wondered that also, as I see snaps of single animals in the dark wandering around or eating all the time. I realize that just out of camera range could be 500 of their friends, but just surprised me that so many animals, especially seemingly singles, are
    just wandering around at nite.

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  • kosmala by kosmala scientist

    These herbivores don't really have much choice. It's not like they can go home, lock the door, and be safe from the predators -- day or night. Considering they'd probably rather be on their feet ready to run if a predator comes near, it makes sense that they're up and grazing at night.

    As for being alone or not, the herbivores are mostly gregarious (meaning they hang out in groups) to some extent. The ones that are, are so night and day. And the ones that are more solitary (like dik-diks) are solitary night and day. For avoiding predators, both are decent strategies -- if you're in a group you've got lots more eyes on look-out for predators, but the group is also more likely to attract the attention of a predator than a single animal.

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