READY to explore the dark side of life? Nocturnal animals have been around for hundreds of millions of years, and today they make up around half of all mammal species, but because most of us are active during the day we rarely encounter these night dwellers.
Artist and photographer Traer Scott has bridged that gap, capturing images of 42 animals that become active at night. Inspiration came from a children's book belonging to her daughter in which a boy takes the moon for a walk at night. "There were illustrations of moths and bats – and it occurred to me that no one has done a collection of photos exploring the whole family, so to speak, of nocturnal animals," she says.
Her subjects range from cockroaches to big cats by way of rodents like this North American kangaroo rat (top), primates including the small-eared galago (bottom) and larger carnivorous species like the North American river otter (above).
All of the animals featured live in captivity – some in wildlife rehabilitation centres, others in zoos. Scott photographs them in the dark conditions the animals are most at home in. "I have a wonderful little black box I use to photograph smaller animals," she says. "The animals go inside and they're immediately put back into darkness, which makes them more at ease."
Scotts' book, Nocturne: Creatures of the night, is published by Princeton Architectural Press.
This article appeared in print under the headline "In the midnight hour"
- New Scientist
- Not just a website!
- Subscribe to New Scientist and get:
- New Scientist magazine delivered every week
- Unlimited online access to articles from over 500 back issues
- Subscribe Now and Save
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.
