Not as much animals – that’s the answer to what do you see at night

When strolling around outside at night you are apt to see nocturnal creatures, particularly if you live in a rural area. Nocturnal animals are those that sleep during the day and are active at night. These creatures have an acute sense of smell and hearing.  These animals also have eyesight that has adapted so that they can see quite well in the dark.

A nighttime outing can be an adventure. What do you see at night? There are many things that you may see at night.

NOCTURNAL CREATURES

Bats have no need for vision at night because they rely on sonar to get around and to find their prey. The bat uses his ears more than his eyes. Bats only come out at night.

Owls are nocturnal creatures and possess eyes that are disproportionately big compared to the rest of their body. Their eyes are binocular-like. 

If something persists on getting into your trash can at night, it?s probably a raccoon. These animals function well in dark conditions.

If you are in the jungle at night, you are likely to see a lion roaming about. Lions are cathemeral, which means that they are active in the day as well as at night. A cathemeral creature looks for food at night as well as during the day.

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HUMANS AND THE DARK

Humans don?t see that well at night, unless they?re using some kind of night vision device that enables people to hunt, for example, when it is dark, or undertake nighttime espionage efforts.  

ANIMALS HAVE THE ADVANTAGE AT NIGHT

Dogs see quite well at night. When walking your dog at night, trust his judgment because he can see things that you can?t. Cats see even better than dogs. 

Dogs have larger pupils than do humans, which lets more light get into their eye. The dog?s retina contains more rods or light sensitive cells, which enables a dog to see far better in dim light than his owner. However, the main advantage a dog has over a human when it comes to seeing in the dark is tapetum or a structure that is mirror-light and located in the back of the dog’s eye. It reflects light which gives the retina a second opportunity to process the light which enters the eye.

Have you noticed how your blue-eyed dog or green-eyed cat?s eyes shine at night? Tapetum is what makes the eyes of animals glow at night. Humans do not have tapetum lucidum. This is called eye shine. Yellow eye shine is generally what occurs in dogs, cats and raccoons. Red eye shine is seen in birds, opossums and rodents. A horse has blue eye shine.

LOOK UPWARD

On a clear night the naked human eye can see thousands of stars and several planets. The ?naked? eye means that which is not aided by magnifying equipment. The naked eye can see a meteor shower or a comet.

NIGHT VISION

Some humans see relatively well at night while others can?t see at all. The latter do not have good night vision. Because humans do not possess tapetum lucidum this lessons their ability to see at night. Those that have poor night vision generally have great difficulty driving at night, and some refuse to drive altogether because they can?t see well enough to navigate the highway.

Venture out at night, in a safe neighborhood, of course, with a burly companion, just in case, and discover just exactly what you can see at night that you don?t see during the day. 

Watch out for vampires. Nighttime is their time to roam.