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Get to Know the Night Shift

June 23, 2025

When the world goes to sleep, nature lights up. These nocturnal creatures have wild ways of surviving when the sun goes down. Read up on some amazing animals that will be featured at the Bronx Zoo’s World of Darkness, opening July 12th!

Fun Facts

Pygmy slow loris

Slow lorises produce venom that they use as a defense. A toxic gland in their arm, called the brachial gland, produces oil that becomes venomous when mixed with their saliva.

Photo Credit: Julie Larsen © WCS

Scorpions

Scorpions give birth to 10-12 live babies, called scorplings. Moms carry the scorplings on their backs for several weeks until their exoskeletons harden.

Egyptian Fruit Bat

Egyptian fruit bats echolocate differently from other bats. Instead of making high-pitched calls, they click with their tongues

Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemur

Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemurs are the only hibernating primate. During the dry season when food is limited, these lemurs enter hibernation, living off the fat stored in their tails for up to seven months.

Aye-Aye

Aye-ayes are the only primates with incisor teeth that never stop growing, like rodents. They use their sharp teeth to tear away wood to get to grubs.

Learn more about these and other amazing animals that live in the dark when you visit the Bronx Zoo’s World of Darkness, opening July 12th!

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