Nocturnal House

Creatures of the night are specially designed for a nocturnal lifestyle. Larger eyes to see better with, larger ears to hear better with, larger noses to smell better with…these are some of the adaptations common to nocturnal animals. Visitors are invited to enter the darkness of the Nocturnal House and learn the secrets to navigating at night.

Opened in 1964, the Nocturnal House was one of the earliest exhibits in which day and night light cycles were reversed to allow visitors to view the animals during their peak active period. Upon entering the building, visitors are transported into a dark, cave-like atmosphere from which they view a variety of nocturnal animals, including the barn owl, Brazilian porcupine and several species of bats.

Photos (clockwise, from top):
Indian Flying Fox, Vampire bat, Barn owl, Potto, Cacomistle