With humans encroaching(侵入) more and more on wildlife habitats, animals are finding that the best way to survive isn’t to pack up and move—it’s to adapt to the night life. A variety of previously daytime animals such as foxes, deer and boars have become active at night to avoid human activity out of fear. But this nighttime switch comes with its own risks.
Researchers looked at how 62 species of animals on six continents changed their behavior in response to human activities such as hunting, farming, and development. The studies employed various technologies to follow the animals, from GPS trackers to motion-activated cameras.
Once night falls, the animals surveyed became far more active than they were before humans arrived, hunting and looking for food in the dark. For example, animals that used to split their activity evenly between day and night typically increased their nighttime activity to 68%.
The team also found the animals responded similarly to these human encroachments, regardless of whether human activity directly affected them. So, a deer might become more active at night simply because it sees humans hiking nearby, not because it’s being hunted.
The researchers believe these nighttime behaviors not only allow humans and animals to coexist more peacefully, they may be able to give us hints as to how to plan conservation efforts accordingly, such as limiting human activity during times when a specific species is more active. But moving to the nightlife could also have downsides for these animals. A nighttime lifestyle can reduce an animal’s ability to hunt and find food successfully and can even affect its ability to find a mate. Switching to a nighttime lifestyle can affect natural patterns of life even if these animals are doing so to reduce their interaction with humans. So, just because animals are becoming more active at night doesn’t mean they’ve escaped the influence of humans.
【小题1】Why are animals becoming more active at night?| A．It is easier to find food at night. |
| B．It is easier to escape being hunted. |
| C．They have got used to nightlife. |
| D．They can be less affected by human. |
| A．They followed and watched the animals. |
| B．They compared different animals. |
| C．They used modern technologies. |
| D．They found more animals at night. |
| A．Deer can get used to nightlife easily. |
| B．Animals can be affected only when being hunted. |
| C．Any human encroachment can affect animals. |
| D．Animals should stay away from humans. |
| A．Animals move to nightlife due to human encroachments. |
| B．Animals have their own ways to get used to life changes. |
| C．Animals should be well protected before it is too late. |
| D．The benefits and risks of animals’ nightlife style. |
