Question: Why are some animals nocturnal and others diurnal?

Mike Ambler answered on 5 Nov 2018:

Good question Paulito…
I guess it’s all about finding a way of living that lets each animal get food, and avoid being eaten itself! Maybe animals that are nocturnal have an advantage because it is harder for other animals to find them and eat them in the dark, but they also have a disadvantage because it will be harder for the nocturnal animal to find food.

So, to be a successful nocturnal animal you need excellent senses: like good night vision to find your food, good sense of smell to tell if another animal is hunting you, or even hearing like bats, which use echos like radar to find their food in the dark. Some nocturnal animals can even detect the tiny electrical pulses made by nerves and muscles in the animals that they eat, and they use these to find their prey. Snakes can even detect infra-red, which is the same as a thermal imaging camera, and they use this to find their warm dinner in the dark!