Page 18 - (DK) Danger! Open with Extreme Caution!

NIGHT STALKERS

Why are so many animals active at night?
In hot places, it makes sense to hunt at
night when it’s cooler. Other animals
may choose to prowl under the cover
of darkness when there is less
competition for food. Nocturnal
animals generally have excellent
senses of hearing and smell,
and their eyes can adapt to
see in the dimmest light. 2
Meet some of the predators
that go bump in
the night… and find
out why it’s a good idea
not to bump into them!

1. Tarantula
This teacup-size terror doesn’t trap its 1
prey in a web like other spiders. Instead,
it creeps around at night and grabs
frogs, toads, mice—even birds—with
its horrid hairy legs, injects its prey
with paralysing venom, and then
bites it with its fangs to finish the job.

2. Jaguar
Stalking silently through the trees, this
fearsome and ferocious big cat uses its
sharp hearing to detect prey (deer, capybaras,
and tapirs). Then, the jaguar pounces on its
unfortunate victim. A jaguar’s bite is so strong
that it can crush through the skull of its prey
to pierce the brain.

3.Green anaconda 4. Owl 5. Natterer’s bat 6. Red-eyed tree frog
The largest snake in the world, This silent hunter feeds on This expert night hunter finds Native to Central American
this South American slitherer mice, shrews, and other small its prey through echolocation. rainforests, these frogs sleep
can grow up to 29 ft (8.8 m) mammals. Special wing This means that it makes by day, hidden among
long and 1 ft (30 cm) in feathers muffle the sound of its a high-pitched noise through the foliage. At night, they
diameter. It gets that big approach so that it takes victims its mouth or nose as it flies. hunt insects to eat. If
by feeding on wild pigs, deer, by surprise. Superior eyesight Then, it listens to the echo that a predator approaches,
birds, turtles, and jaguars. helps owls locate prey—some returns, figuring out the exact they pop their blood-red eyes
This snake coils its huge body owls can hunt in complete location of the prey, its size, and flash their huge orange
around its prey and squeezes, darkness, relying on sound and what direction it’s feet to startle it while they
suffocating its victim. to guide them to their prey. moving in. make their escape.

18
(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.