Day Trippers and Night Crawlers Quiz

Answer: Nocturnal

Both the aardvark and the nine-banded armadillo are insectivores, and both are known to have ants and termites in their diets. While the aardvark is native to Africa and the nine-banded armadillo is native to North and South America, both mammals inhabit warmer environments. Foraging for insects for both aardvarks and nine-banded armadillos begins at sunset.

Answer: Diurnal

Chipmunks are diurnal. They are mainly found in North America while the Siberian chipmunk inhabits Asia. They are omnivorous rodents whose diets include fungi, plants, seeds, worms, and bird eggs.

Answer: Nocturnal

Lemurs are endemic to Madagascar, which has a volatile, seasonal climate that leads to a lot of species diversity amongst lemurs. The name lemur itself comes from Latin 'lemures', referring to ghosts or spirits of the dead, invoking connotations of darkness from its very etymological roots. Being nocturnal animals, dwarf lemurs are among the groups of lemurs that have retinas made up entirely of rod cells, the type of retinal cells that function without needing much light.

Answer: Diurnal

Giraffes may move about at night, but they are typically diurnal mammals. They are herbivorous African ungulates who live in herds. Like the pronghorns, giraffes have many nocturnal predators that they can evade by being active during the day.

Answer: Diurnal

Gorillas are native to Africa, and are social animals active during the day. Gorillas are known for their characteristic knuckle-walking, in which they step with their hind legs and the knuckles of their forelimbs. Gorillas have flexible diets and can live in a wide range of environments, so their day is divided between feeding, traveling, and resting.

Answer: Nocturnal

Hyenas are primarily nocturnal mammals, but may be spotted in the early morning hours out of their lairs. They are primarily scavengers, but will attack and kill animals when they can do so. Adapting to their nocturnal lifestyle as animals are always wont to do, hyenas have superb night vision that enables them to see in the dark.

Answer: Diurnal

Unlike most marsupials, numbats are diurnal, largely due to the fact that though they share the insectivorous diet of other nocturnal species in this quiz, numbats lack the other anatomical benefits the nocturnal mammals have (most termite-eaters are larger animals). Numbats are native to Australia and the numbat is an emblem of Western Australia.

Answer: Nocturnal

Opossums are marsupials that reside in the Americas. They are solitary and nomadic, and they prefer dark areas as nocturnal mammals. Opossums subsist largely by eating dead animals.

Answer: Diurnal

Fleet-footed pronghorns (commonly called pronghorn antelope) are diurnal mammals indigenous to North America. The pronghorn's diet consists of a variety of plant life, and pronghorns prefer expansive, open terrain for their herds. They are the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere - a useful trait for avoiding predators. Since most of their major predators are nocturnal, being active during the day also promotes the survival of pronghorns.

Answer: Nocturnal

Tarsiers are primates that inhabit Southeast Asia, though fossilized evidence showed they once lived on other continents. They are primarily insectivores, and catch their prey by lunging toward the insects. Tarsiers get their name from the enlarged tarsus bones in their feet.