Nov 14, 2024 10:22 PM
(This post was last modified: Nov 14, 2024 10:25 PM by C C.)
https://theconversation.com/five-animals...ght-242333
INTRO: Once every spring, a few days after the full moon, corals of the great barri reef release eggs and sperm simultaneously – a phenomenon so spectacular it can be seen from space.
Not only does the Moon’s gravitational attraction interact with the Sun to cause our tides (ebb and flow), its orbit around Earth generates different Moon phases of varying luminosity. Scientists think the Moon’s light at a certain point each spring may provide a cue to corals that the conditions are right to release eggs and sperm.
The Moon’s cycle indirectly affects some animal behaviour during high and low tides, of course, by excluding them from fertile foraging areas such as coastal mudflats. But the sunlight that is reflected off the Moon also has a direct influence on animal behaviour. For example, to those animals that rely on vision for foraging, moonlight is a resource. To others that are at risk of being killed at night, it is a menace.
A recent study found moonlight seems to affect mammals’ behaviour even in one of the darkest places on Earth: the floors of tropical forests.
Footage from camera traps in the undergrowth showed small mammals, such as rodents and armadillos, seemed to avoid predators by being less active on moonlit nights. In response, their hunters, including the ocelot wild cat, also become less active.
So, moonlight in the tropics seemed to create a natural “resting phase” for wildlife. However, a few species that are dependent on vision for foraging and predator avoidance, including the African elephant shrew (Petrodromus tetradactylus), showed increased nocturnal activity in moonlight.
Across the world, here are five animal species that have fascinating behavioural responses to moonlight... (MORE - details)
COVERED: 1. Mayflies in Africa ...... 2. Nightjars ...... 3. Swifts ...... 4. Barn owls ...... 5. Dung beetles
INTRO: Once every spring, a few days after the full moon, corals of the great barri reef release eggs and sperm simultaneously – a phenomenon so spectacular it can be seen from space.
Not only does the Moon’s gravitational attraction interact with the Sun to cause our tides (ebb and flow), its orbit around Earth generates different Moon phases of varying luminosity. Scientists think the Moon’s light at a certain point each spring may provide a cue to corals that the conditions are right to release eggs and sperm.
The Moon’s cycle indirectly affects some animal behaviour during high and low tides, of course, by excluding them from fertile foraging areas such as coastal mudflats. But the sunlight that is reflected off the Moon also has a direct influence on animal behaviour. For example, to those animals that rely on vision for foraging, moonlight is a resource. To others that are at risk of being killed at night, it is a menace.
A recent study found moonlight seems to affect mammals’ behaviour even in one of the darkest places on Earth: the floors of tropical forests.
Footage from camera traps in the undergrowth showed small mammals, such as rodents and armadillos, seemed to avoid predators by being less active on moonlit nights. In response, their hunters, including the ocelot wild cat, also become less active.
So, moonlight in the tropics seemed to create a natural “resting phase” for wildlife. However, a few species that are dependent on vision for foraging and predator avoidance, including the African elephant shrew (Petrodromus tetradactylus), showed increased nocturnal activity in moonlight.
Across the world, here are five animal species that have fascinating behavioural responses to moonlight... (MORE - details)
COVERED: 1. Mayflies in Africa ...... 2. Nightjars ...... 3. Swifts ...... 4. Barn owls ...... 5. Dung beetles