Nocturnal Animals · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Animals of the Night

Science · Animals of the World · ages 5-7
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. A rat runs through dark tunnels under the ground, where it cannot see a thing. What do its long whiskers help it do?

    • Feel the tunnel walls around it
    • Hear owls flying above
    • See bright colors underground

  2. What does the word 'nocturnal' mean?

    • Asleep all day and all night
    • Awake at night, asleep in the day
    • Awake in the day, asleep at night

  3. True or false: A rooster wakes up at dawn, so it is a nocturnal animal.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which animal sleeps in the day and flies around at night?

    • Duck
    • Bat
    • Rooster

  5. Which of these animals stays awake at night to find food?

    • Duck
    • Fox
    • Rooster

  6. Which of these animals is awake in the daytime?

    • Duck
    • Owl
    • Bat

  7. An owl has just woken up at night. What will it do next?

    • Hunt for mice
    • Fall right back asleep
    • Crow at the sun

  8. A fennec fox has huge ears. What do the ears help it do in the dark?

    • See bright colors
    • Swim faster
    • Hear tiny sounds from prey

  9. An owl and a duck live near the same pond. It is noon. What are the two animals doing?

    • The owl is asleep and the duck is awake
    • Both animals are out hunting
    • Both animals are fast asleep

  10. Mia reads about an animal that sleeps all day, has huge ears, and hunts at night. Which animal is it?

    • Owl
    • Duck
    • Fennec fox
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Animals of the Night W1-mt_V_wIdRZLsG-s1

  1. Feel the tunnel walls around it · Whiskers are feelers. Touching the walls tells the rat where it can go in the dark.
  2. Awake at night, asleep in the day · Nocturnal means an animal is awake at night and sleeps during the day.
  3. False · A rooster really does wake at dawn, but that makes it a daytime animal. Nocturnal animals wake at night.
  4. Bat · Bats sleep during the day. At night they wake up and fly around.
  5. Fox · Foxes are nocturnal. They hunt for food while it is dark.
  6. Duck · Owls and bats are nocturnal, so they sleep in the day. A duck is awake in the daytime.
  7. Hunt for mice · The owl sleeps all day. Night is its busy time, so it hunts mice next.
  8. Hear tiny sounds from prey · Huge ears pick up quiet sounds, helping the fox find food at night.
  9. The owl is asleep and the duck is awake · The owl is nocturnal, so it sleeps at noon. The duck is a daytime animal, so it is awake.
  10. Fennec fox · It is nocturnal and has huge ears, so it is the fennec fox. The owl is nocturnal too, but owls have huge eyes.
Worksheet · LightMySky