10 nocturnal animals that can be spotted during night safari

Night safaris enhance the experience of going on a jungle safari, as there is an air of mystery and one is constantly on edge considering that there is darkness all around. What makes the experience even more captivating is that sounds echo more and one can see the eyes of animals glinting in darkness. People who love embarking on adventures would love this experience.
Let’s look at some nocturnal animals that you might spot during a night safari:

Leopards are hunters who are mainly nocturnal, with exceptional night vision, and also stalk prey without being seen and drag it into trees to avoid scavengers. This species is mostly active from dusk to dawn and can mostly be spotted in reserves like Kruger, where they rest during the day and hunt at night. Leopards are distributed widely across sub-Saharan Africa, from dense forests to savannah and mountains. One can mainly spot this species in areas like Kruger National Park (South Africa), South Luangwa (Zambia), Okavango Delta (Botswana), and Masai Mara (Kenya).

Hyena is also a nocturnal animal and is distinguised in two types: spotted and brown hyena. These species mostly remain active at night. Spotted hyenas mostly hunt in groups with powerful jaws and haunting sounds, while the brown hyenas are often seen scavenging in arid regions. This species is mostly common in Kalahari, Kruger, and other South African reserves. Brown hyenas prefer hunting alone at night, while the spotted hyenas prefer hunting in a group.

This is an omnivore species with black and white banded fur and also has a masked face. They are mostly known for eating everything from fruit and rodents to insects and millipedes. This species resembles a raccoon quite a bit, but these two are completely unrelated. This species is frequently spotted near woodlands and around camps in Greater Kruger, South Luangwa, and remote Tanzania.

This species is quite agile, and these are mostly tree-climbing animals with long striped tails and spotted coats. This animal has needle-like teeth and is quick to pounce. They mostly prey on small mammals and reptiles at night. They are mostly spotted around termite mounds and tree bases and quickly disappear into the darkness. One can find this animal during the night in reserves like Kruger, Kalahari, and South Luangwa and are distributed all over sub-Saharan Africa.

Bushbabies are nocturnal animals that are just a few hundred grams in weight and have large bat-like ears and an exceptional leap ability of up to 2 metres. This species is also known for its eerie crying calls. This species is mostly spotted around forest edges or near lodges in Zambia, Kruger, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Aardvark is also a nocturnal animal spotted mainly in arid regions like the Karoo or Kalahari and parts of Botswana and Namibia. The Karoo region in South Africa is home to high densities of aardvarks. This species has a pig-like snout and powerful digging claws. It feeds mostly on termites and can consume ten thousand termites in a night with the help of its long sticky tongue. This species also has poor eyesight and is generally shy, making them difficult to spot.

This species also eats termites and has striped fur and a mane which gets raised when they feel threatened. They mostly feast on harvester termites and use scent marking to patrol territory. This species belongs to the hyena family, and one can spot two different populations of Aardwolf in Africa, one in Southern Africa and another in East Africa. One can spot this species in the vast Kalahari Basin, perhaps in Kgalagadi National Park in South Africa or Botswana’s salt pans.

This animal is mostly known for fearlessness and toughness and one raids beehives mid-swarm and can also fend off lions if they face them. They mostly eat insects, rodents, reptiles, fruit, and honey. This species is mostly active across savannahs and bushland and also around campsites in Botswana, South Luangwa, and Kruger.

Cape Porcupine is the largest rodent in Africa, which walks slowly at night with quills that rattle when they feel threatened. This species is considered to be quite family-oriented even if their appearance deceives us; one can encounter a family unit of Cape Porcupines. This species is mostly found across sub-Saharan Africa as well as in Botswana, Namibia, and parts of Zambia.

This species is native to Southern Africa and is mostly spotted in grasslands and in Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia. This species is quite similar to a kangaroo, just in a smaller form. This animal emerges from their burrows and looks for juicy roots and stems and mostly hops using their long tails.