Posts Tagged ‘nocturnal animals’
Wildlife Wednesday 10/08/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Features including a bushy ringed tail plus dark facial mask plus dexterous paws plus a reputation for mischief add up to one of North America’s most recognizable nocturnal creatures, the raccoon! Smart and adaptable, the raccoon can be found in a wide variety of habitats, from forests and coasts to big cities and…
Read MoreLong-Eared Owls
The long-eared owl is a beautiful nocturnal bird of prey built for hunting at night and being well camouflaged during the day. This owl spends most of its time in the boreal forests of Canada and northern parts of the U.S. Northern Ohio is on the very southern edge of this owls breeding range. However,…
Read MoreGray Fox
Gray foxes are nocturnal and elusive, making them hard to spot. This fox is considered a paraphyletic fox, meaning it’s not a true fox because it doesn’t belong to the genus Vulpes but rather the genus Urocyon. Belonging to the family Canidae, the gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, and one other fox, the island fox, are…
Read MoreDekay’s Brownsnake
Dekay’s brownsnake is common, small, secretive, nocturnal and seldom found out in the open. Their Latin name is Storeria dekayi. The species name dekayi honors James Ellsworth Dekay, a naturalist/zoologist who collected the first specimen of this snake on Long Island, New York and Storeria honors David Humphreys Storer, an American physician/naturalist/ zoologist. This is…
Read MoreSnowshoe Hares
Snowshoe hares are found throughout Canada and in the northernmost part of the U.S. They were native to the northeast corner of Ohio but disappeared in the early 1900s due to the clearing of forests to create farmland. Early attempts to reintroduce these hares to Ohio were unsuccessful; however, in 2000 the ODNR Division of…
Read MoreEastern Cottontail Rabbits
Eastern cottontail rabbits are everywhere in Ohio. Their ancient ancestors appeared at least 33 million years ago during the late Eocene Epoch. Adaptable creatures, they evolved into the eastern cottontail rabbits we have today. They’re the most common rabbit species in North America – ranging throughout North America, Latin America and Northern South America. While…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 10/09/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Today we will learn about a nocturnal animal that wants to be seen, smelled, and recognized…the striped skunk! While many animals use camouflage, burrows, and fleeing to hide from predators, the skunk does not rely on any of these. Instead its strategy is to stand out, showing off the bright white stripes along…
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