![]() Many predators forage most intensively at night, whereas others are active at midday and see best in full sun. The various patterns of activity are thought to be mainly antipredator adaptations, though some could equally well be predatory adaptations. Those active during both times are said to have a bimodal activity pattern.Īdaptive relevance Fireflies at twilight, long exposure Special classes of crepuscular behaviour include matutinal (or "matinal", animals active only in the dawn) and vespertine (only in the dusk). Some animals casually described as nocturnal are in fact crepuscular. The distinction is not absolute however, because crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright moonlit night or on a dull day. Its sense accordingly differs from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, which respectively peak during hours of daylight and darkness. The word crepuscular derives from the Latin crepusculum ("twilight"). Some creatures may adjust their activities depending on local competition. ![]() The temperature may be too high at midday or too low at night. Predators hunt when their prey is available, and prey try to avoid the times when their principal predators are at large. Matutinal animals are active only before sunrise, and vespertine only after sunset.Ī number of factors impact the time of day an animal is active. Some crepuscular animals may also be active by moonlight or during an overcast day. ![]() This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylight and of darkness, respectively. In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine/vespertinal, or both. ![]() Look up crepuscular in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ![]()
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