Are turtles nocturnal animals?
Have you ever found your turtle more active after you turn the lights off than during the day? Well, if so, you probably wonder whether these animals prefer nightlife or day life. Well, the short answer is that turtles are diurnal animals. It means that they do most of their activities during the day. Still, it is possible for turtles to do some things during the night. Truth to be told, it is a common phenomenon, so we should not worry about that.
But what makes turtles diurnal animals? Are there any subspecies that prefer living during the night? And what is the exact reason for turtles to stay out late? There are quite a lot of questions as far as this subject is concerned. No wonder that some of you wish to know everything about these beloved reptiles. To make sure that you understand the differences (both biological and psychological) between diurnal and nocturnal animals, I present you today’s article.
In the text I decided to share my experience as a long-time turtle owner. I keep these creatures as my pets for quite a long time and many times I have seen and heard movement in the tank after the lights were off. At first, I thought they may prefer a darker environment. However, as it sometimes happens with humans, turtles also have some stuff to do before they go to sleep. Once I figured that out, my goal was to learn everything there is about the reasons why turtles are not nocturnal animals and what makes them creatures of the day.
How does a nocturnal animal stand out?
The very first thing to know before determining whether an animal is diurnal or nocturnal is understanding the things that make some animals more adjusted to the night life. Animals active at night hunt for food, forage, or simply take care of their daily routine after dusk. During the day, they simply rest. Obviously, the reasons why some animals became nocturnal are quite diverse.
For some it might be the result of harsh environments that they had to live in. One of such examples is the desert, where during the day the temperature is too high. Besides that, most predators are active during the day. It means that at night there is a slightly safer environment to move and to live. Obviously, some predators also adjusted to the nightlife. Still, a higher chance of surviving is surely at night. Interestingly, some predators had to adjust to darkness simply because they were unable to hunt efficiently during the day. So, instead of chasing the prey around, they are better at searching for it at night and then attacking it by surprise.
The animals that evolved to become nocturnal have some senses enhanced. For example, they have a better hearing that is capable of receiving soundwaves many other diurnal animals can’t receive. Obviously, their sense of smell is also enhanced, making it much easier to hunt for food more efficiently.
Let’s also not forget about the fact that there have been a lot of biological changes to nocturnal animals, especially when it comes to their sight. Did you know that nocturnal animals have much more rod cells in their eyes? Their number is significantly higher even if we compare it to humans. Besides that, some animals also have a tapetum lucidum. It is a special, reflective membrane. It is located just behind the eye and serves as a mirror. It allows animals to see in dimmer light.
What about diurnal animals? Here are their characteristics
Diurnal animals are simply all the creatures that do most of their daily routine during the day. Nights are served for sleeping purposes. In our world, diurnal creatures are considered to be a norm. As a result, there was no need for any enhancements or evolving in a specific way to adjust to this type of life.
Interestingly, some people say that at the given point in the past, all animals were diurnal. However, because of the many different factors that included the environment, the occurrence of predators, as well as the difficulty of finding food made some diurnal animals evolve into nocturnal representatives.
Turtles are not nocturnal animals and here is why
But what about turtles? Well, these reptiles are known to be diurnal animals. There are dozens of different reasons for this.
UVB light
One of the main reasons why turtles can never (at least at this stage of evolution) be nocturnal animals is because of UVB light they need in order to survive. Turtles are reptiles and as reptiles, they are cold-blooded. It means that in order for such a creature to keep the temperature of the body, they have to either cool down or warm themselves. Sun gives them the latter.
However, the Sun is much more important than just providing these animals with warmth. You see, UVB light greatly enhances the process of absorbing the calcium in their body. This, in turn, is of utmost importance for them to stay healthy and have sturdy bones. As we all know, almost their entire body is covered with them, so that would mean an abundance of health issues. The Sun is even more important if we realize that in the wild our star is the only eligible UVB light source.
Poor senses
Another important reason for turtles to never become nocturnal is because of their senses. As I mentioned earlier on, nocturnal creatures have some of their senses enhanced. Thanks to that, they are better at hunting or foraging food. Turtles can’t boast with senses that are well developed. Yes, they can hear low frequency sound, they can see a wider range of red colors than humans (more about that later on), but it doesn’t mean that it helps them in finding food and surviving as much as one could think.
There is not much we know about their sense of smell. However, hearing and seeing is not good enough to be able to trace back other creatures. Besides that, they don’t have to do that, because during the day there are quite a lot of plant species they can feed on.
Not much to do at night
One of the reasons why you may hear or see turtles being awake at night is because their sleeping schedule is not as demanding as humans. You see, in order to stay healthy and to keep all our wits, we have to sleep at least 7 to even 8-9 hours a day. The turtles don’t need to do that because after four hours, they are rested and ready for the new day.
So, what do they do for the rest of the night? Well, it depends whether we are dealing with a turtle that is held in captivity or the one that is in the wilderness. In the wilderness, they may usually search for food or stay hidden in order to avoid meeting predators on their way. At home, they do what they usually would during the day.
The points presented above are the best way to explain why turtles can never (without the proper evolution of their bodies) become entirely nocturnal animals and why it is necessary for them to stay active during the day. It goes without saying that sometimes you can find your turtle roaming around the tank after you turn off the lights. However, sooner or later it will go to sleep and wake up the next morning for its daily routine.
Besides, turtles can’t see in the dark
This is probably the most important reason why turtles are not nocturnal animals. You see, these creatures do not have any of their senses adjusted for the darkness, especially their eyes. You see, they do not have the so-called tapetum lucidum. It is a reflective membrane that works similarly to a mirror. As a result, animals with such a membrane are able to see slightly better at night. Turtles, on the other hand, do not have that. The easiest way to check it out is to take a picture of it at night. In the photo, their eyes will not glow. Dogs’ eyes, on the other hand, glow. It is all due to this membrane.
The way turtles see in the dark is quite similar to us, humans. It means that after a second of being in complete darkness, their eyes will slightly adjust to the environment. Therefore, they will be able to observe some object edges. An interesting fact is that because of a special gene known as CYP2J19, they are capable of seeing much more colors than people. You see, this gene guarantees not three different types of cones (like humans have), but more. As a result, the amount of shades of red that turtles see is much larger than what we see. It may help them in seeing some of the objects at night.
Now you know if turtles are nocturnal or diurnal animals!
Being a totally nocturnal animal requires hundreds of thousands, if not millions) years of evolution to adjust the senses of the animal as well as modify some of the biological features of an animal. Only then the creature is capable of hunting or foraging for food and to do their usual daily routine at night. Turtles do not belong to this group of animals.
They are diurnal animals mainly because of the need of UVB lights and the lack of enhanced senses. Obviously, they also prefer the day routine because they can’t see at night. However, because of their very short resting time (they only need 4 hours of sleep), you may find your turtle awake even at night.
Submit your review | |
