A Conversation for Colours of Wildlife: South American Advanced Cynodonts

Not that it matters, but owls and nightingales are nocturnal

Post 1

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

These are cutest proto-mammals yet, Willem. smiley - smiley

Also, exceptions to the daytime-oriented birds are the owls and nightingales.


Not that it matters, but owls and nightingales are nocturnal

Post 2

Willem

Hiya, glad you like 'em!

Yes, there are nocturnal birds, nightjars as well for instance, but there are many more marsupial mammals. I think n SA we have around ten species of owl, and another ten of nightjars, but of bats alone we have about 75 species, and then there are so many other nocturnal mammals also, cats and other predators, night-active mice, rats and shrews and so on. Even though there are no more dinosaurs to avoid (but recently humans, sad to say), mammals just seem very good at being night-critters.


Not that it matters, but owls and nightingales are nocturnal

Post 3

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

There's a funny story they tell about Hawaii. Rats escaped from the first ships that arrived there, and they began threatening the ground-nesting birds. Someone imported mongooses (mongeese?) to control the rat population, but they forgot that mongoosies are diurnal, while rats are nocturnal. smiley - doh Now Hawaii has both rats and mongooschen to worry about.


Not that it matters, but owls and nightingales are nocturnal

Post 4

Willem

Oops I see I made a typo in the posting before ... saying marsupial mammals when I meant nocturnal mammals!

The mongooses made very big problems in Hawaii and in many other places they were introduced, being responsible for several full extinctions!


Not that it matters, but owls and nightingales are nocturnal

Post 5

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

I can believe that!


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