As humans invade and destroy more and more wildlife habitats, these animals come to the conclusion that the best way to survive is not to pack and move, but to move to a nocturnal lifestyle. This is the conclusion of a new study, which showed that many previously diurnal animals, such as foxes, deer and wild boars, have become nocturnal to shelter from the fear of human activity. But this transition to night mode has its risks.
To carry out the work, the researchers analyzed 76 studies that studied 62 species of mammals on six continents - from possums to elephants - that changed their behavior in response to human activities such as hunting, farming and construction. The studies have used a variety of technologies to monitor animals, from GPS trackers to motion-activated cameras.
As night fell, the animals became much more active than they were before humans appeared. Now they hunt and feed in the dark. Mammals, which spread their activity evenly between day and night, increased their nocturnal activity by up to 68%, the scientists reported in Science.
It also turned out that animals changed their lifestyle in response to the appearance of people, regardless of whether they were affected by direct human activity. Thus, the deer could become more active at night simply because he saw people nearby, and not because he was being hunted.
Scientists believe that nocturnal behavior will not only allow humans and animals to coexist together, but will also give us clues as to what conservation measures to take. For example, you can restrict human activities at a certain time in relation to certain types. But the transition to nightlife will not go unnoticed by the animals. It can reduce the ability of animals to hunt and feed successfully, as well as interfere with finding a mate for mating. It turns out that despite the fact that animals began to live a nightlife, this does not mean that they got rid of human influence.
Ilya Khel