Mammals becoming more nocturnal

[arthwollipot]

According to a new study, animals are becoming more nocturnal in order to avoid humans.

Abstract:

Rapid expansion of human activity has driven well-documented shifts in the spatial distribution of wildlife, but the cumulative effect of human disturbance on the temporal dynamics of animals has not been quantified. We examined anthropogenic effects on mammal diel activity patterns, conducting a meta-analysis of 76 studies of 62 species from six continents. Our global study revealed a strong effect of humans on daily patterns of wildlife activity. Animals increased their nocturnality by an average factor of 1.36 in response to human disturbance. This finding was consistent across continents, habitats, taxa, and human activities. As the global human footprint expands, temporal avoidance of humans may facilitate human-wildlife coexistence. However, such responses can result in marked shifts away from natural patterns of activity, with consequences for fitness, population persistence, community interactions, and evolution.

News report, for those who, like me, find science papers difficult to read.

 

[Roboramma]

Very interesting, thanks for posting this.

 

[kedo1981]

Well DUH!!! because people suck.
When the aliens finally get here we had better hope they did come to see the Elephants!

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Interesting. Around here the bobcats are out in the daytime much more frequently. Maybe because so many cats are out in the day it sets an odd example for them.

(I know, anecdotal non-data. )

 

[dann]

Not just mammals:

For example, diurnal animals are active longer than they normally would be, and birds in cities have even been observed to forage at night during the winter.
Artificial night lighting causes birds to sing earlier (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Mar. 17, 2015)

(Since I'm not a native speaker of English, I was surprised to learn that great tits are not mammalian! )