![]() ![]() This did come with some adaptations that mammals live with today. This evolutionary movement to nocturnality allowed them to better avoid predators and gain resources with less competition from other animals. Initially, most animals were diurnal, but adaptations that allowed some animals to become nocturnal is what helped contribute to the success of many, especially mammals. For example, sunflowers open during the day to attract bees, whereas the night-blooming cereus opens at night to attract large sphinx moths. The timing of flower opening is often related to the time at which preferred pollinators are foraging. Plants that open their flowers during the daytime are described as diurnal, while those that bloom during nighttime are nocturnal. Animals active during twilight are crepuscular, those active during the night are nocturnal and animals active at sporadic times during both night and day are cathemeral. Diurnality is a cycle of activity within a 24-hour period cyclic activities called circadian rhythms are endogenous cycles not dependent on external cues or environmental factors except for a zeitgeber. The timing of activity by an animal depends on a variety of environmental factors such as the temperature, the ability to gather food by sight, the risk of predation, and the time of year. The common adjective used for daytime activity is "diurnal". ![]() ![]() Steppe eagles are diurnal, and hunt during the dayĭiurnality is a form of plant and animal behavior characterized by activity during daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. ![]()
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