Most people know the meaning of the words diurnal and nocturnal, even if they aren’t familiar with the words themselves.  Humans tend to be diurnal.  That means we’re usually active during the day and sleep at night.  Animals that are nocturnal are active during the night.  But there’s a third term for the time in between day and night- the hours of dawn and dusk: crepuscular!  Crepuscular animals are those that are active during the twilight hours.

The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park is home to several crepuscular animals, including coyotes and bobcats.   Our summer evening series, The Canyon After Dark, came to a close August 26th with a final evening on these twilight dwellers: The Twilight Highlight!  Visitors heard from special guest the Mary S. Roberts Animal Shelter on coyotes and got to visit with several furry friends that they brought with them.  Visitors also learned about the relation of coyotes and bobcats to their house pets and were able to view similarities and differences in skulls, pelts, and traits.

Though the summer evening event series is over, there are still plenty of events to come check out at the Ameal Moore Nature Center!