Crepuscular

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Crepuscular

Crepuscular is a term used to describe some animals that are primarily active during twilight

Twilight

Twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise, and the time between sunset and dusk. Sunlight Scattering in the upper Earth's atmosphere illuminates the lower atmosphere, and the surface of the Earth is not completely lit or completely dark....
, that is at dawn

Dawn

Dawn is the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon. Dawn should not be confused with sunrise, which is the moment when the leading edge of the sun itself appears above the horizon....
and at dusk

Dusk

Dusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening. It is often confused with sunset, which is the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon....
. The word is derived from the Latin

Latin

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Crepuscular is a term used to describe some animals that are primarily active during twilight

Twilight

Dawn

Dusk

Dusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening. It is often confused with sunset, which is the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon....
. The word is derived from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
word crepusculum, meaning "twilight". Crepuscular is thus in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright moonlit night. Many animals that are casually described as nocturnal are in fact crepuscular. Within the definition of crepuscular are the terms matutinal
Matutinal

Matutinal is a term used in the biology, to describe an organism that is only or primarily active in the pre-dawn hours or early morning. The variant term matinal is used apparently only in entomology, often used in literature on the natural history and ecology of bees....
(or "matinal") and vespertine
Vespertine (biology)

Vespertine is a term used in the biology to indicate something of, relating to, or occurring in the evening. In botany, a vespertine flower is one which opens or blooms in the evening, while in zoology, it describes a creature that becomes active in the evening, such as bats and owls....
, denoting species active in the dawn

Dawn

Dusk

Dusk is the beginning of darkness in the evening. It is often confused with sunset, which is the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon....
respectively.

The patterns of activity are thought to be an antipredator adaptation. Many predators forage most intensely at night, while others are active at mid-day and see best in full sun. Thus the crepuscular habit may reduce predation. Additionally, in hot areas, it may be a way of avoiding thermal stress while capitalizing on available light.

Crepuscular mammal

Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s include the Red Panda

Red Panda

The Red Panda, also called the Firefox or Lesser Panda , is a mostly herbivorous mammal, specialized as a bamboo feeder. It is slightly larger than a domestic cat ....
, cat

Cat

The cat , also known as the Domestication cat or house cat to distinguish it from other Felinae and Felidae, is a small predationy carnivore species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes, scorpions, and other unwanted household pests....
, dog

Dog

The dog is a domesticated subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties....
, deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related families within the order even-toed ungulate are often also called deer....
, moose

Moose

File:Alces alces NA.svgThe moose or elk , , is the largest Extant taxon species in the deer family . Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a "twig-like" configuration....
, rabbit

Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genus in the family taxonomy as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit , and the Amami rabbit ....
, chinchilla

Chinchilla

Chinchillas are crepuscular rodents, slightly larger than ground squirrels, native to the Andes mountains in South America. Along with their relatives, viscachas, they belong to the family Chinchillidae....
, ferret

Ferret

The ferret is a Domestication mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually Sexual dimorphism predators with males being substantially larger than females....
, guinea pig

Guinea pig

The guinea pig is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea ....
, hamster

Hamster

Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 18 species, classified in six or seven genus....
, common mouse

Mouse

A mouse is a small animal that belongs to one of numerous species of rodents. The best known mouse species is the House Mouse . It is also a popular pet....
, skunk

Skunk

Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to excrete a strong, foul-smelling #Anal scent glands. General appearance ranges from species to species from black and white to brown or cream colored....
, rat

Rat

Rats are various medium sized, long-tailed rodents of the Family Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus....
, and capybara

Capybara

Capybara , also known as capibara, chig?ire in Venezuela, chig?iro, and carpincho in Spanish language, and capivara in Portuguese language, is the largest living rodent in the world....
. Crepuscular birds include the Common Nighthawk

Common Nighthawk

The Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles minor, is a nightjar.The adults have brown feathers with some darker ones too , gray and white patterning on the upperparts and breast....
, Chimney Swift

Chimney Swift

The Chimney Swift is a small swift....
, American Woodcock

American Woodcock

The American Woodcock, Scolopax minor, is a small chunky wader species from North America. It is popularly known as timberdoodle and a well-known game bird....
, and Spotted Crake

Spotted Crake

The Spotted Crake is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae.Their breeding habitat is marshes and Cyperaceae beds across temperate Europe into western Asia....
.

Some animals that are extinct were also crepuscular such as the Tasmanian Tiger

Thylacine

The Thylacine was the largest known carnivore marsupial of Holocene. Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century....
.

Some species have different habits in the absence of predator

Predation

In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey, the organism that is attacked. Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of the prey....
s. For example, the Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

The Short-eared Owl is a species of typical owl . Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears....
is crepuscular on those of the Galápagos Islands

Galápagos Islands

Gal?pagos Islands are an archipelago of Island#Volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km west of continental Ecuador....
that have buzzard

Buzzard

A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below....
species, but diurnal on those without.

Many moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
s, beetle

Beetle

Beetles are the group of insects with the largest number of known species. They are placed in the order Coleoptera , which contains more described species than in any other order in the animal, constituting about 25% of all known life-forms....
s, flies

Fly

True flies are insects of the Order Diptera , possessing a single pair of insect wing on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax....
, and other insect

Insect

Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
s are crepuscular as well.