BAYOU

Although all of the other biomes and habitats in our zoo are arranged according to region or habitat our Bayou Exhibit species have been grouped together because they share a predominant behavioral characteristic. All of the animals on display in our Bayou are nocturnal. This means that they move around and hunt for food at night. There are many good reasons why an animal would prefer to be active in the darkness. Many nocturnal animals are predators and the food that they like to eat comes out at night. Some nocturnal animals prefer the dark because it allows them to blend in and hide from the animals that hunt them. For example, owls eat small rodents like mice. Mice come out at night because it is a safer time for them to avoid human and other large mammal contact while they forage for seeds.

Over time, nocturnal animals have adapted many of their senses and physical characteristics to equip them to work in the darkness. Bats have echolocation, which is a sort of radar that helps them navigate as they fly. Some snakes have heat-sensing pits that help them locate warm blooded prey while other snakes sniff out their quarry using their chemosensitive tongues. Owls can see 4 times better than we can because they have large eyes and a higher concentration of special cells in their retinas that enable them to take advantage of even a small amount of illumination.