Living Night On the Secret Wonders of Wildlife After Dark

About this book

When the sun has set, things get interesting with wild animals in North America. Where people wait for buses during the day, a family of raccoons rummages through the trash can. Foxes and skunks search for food, fireflies send flashing signals to potential mates, owls and bats fly overhead. Night is not just a time, but a diverse habitat that we still know too little about. Wildlife biologist Sophia Kimmig is on the trail of the secrets of the night. Not only does she introduce its wild inhabitants, but she also shows what it's like to live in this parallel world – how it came to be, what it looks like, feels like, or smells like – in this fascinating journey into the wonders of the night.

Originally published in German in 2023 as Lebendige Nacht by Carl Hanser Verlag.

Contents

Prologue: Night in the City

Chapter 1: The Dark Side of the Day
- Of Subjective Realities
- The Other World
- A Life in the Dark
- Fun Fact Shining Eyes

Chapter 2: Dwellers of the Night - DORMICE
- Of Mafiosi and Sleepers
- Secret Neighbors
- Fun Fact Adhesive feet

Chapter 3: Why animals are nocturnal and what dinosaurs have to do with it
- From shadowy existence to triumphant march
- Excuse me, is there still room for me somewhere?
- Fun Fact Artistic Freedom

Chapter 4: Dwellers of the Night - OWLS
- Silent Hunters
- Two Weird Birds
- Fun Fact 270 degrees

Chapter 5: Only where there is light, there are shadows
- When organisms bring light into the dark
- Fun Fact Obligatory or optional?

Chapter 6: Inhabitants of the night - BATS
- Vampire or cotton ball
- Delicate but tough
- Fun Fact Dark wings
- Man under the spell of darkness
- The night is dark and full of terror
- Nocturnal cultural assets
- Fun Fact Fifty shades of gray

Chapter 7: Dwellers of the night - RACCOONS
- Sensitive survival artist
- The tank busters among the animals
- Fun Fact The Guild

Chapter 8: The Loss of Night
- The Dark Side of Light
- The Meaning of Darkness
- Fun Fact From sleepy cows to relaxed mice

Chapter 9: Inhabitants of the night - NIGHT FEEDING
- Brown bear and copper mother hen - the world of night owls
- Sensual
- Fun Fact Nemo's Anemone

Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes, selected references, and bibliography
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Sophia Kimmig researches how wild animals adapt to changing habitat conditions at an institute of the Leibniz Society in Berlin. Her previous book, On Foxes and People, was a Spiegel bestseller. In lectures, journalism, and books, she pursues her goal of bringing people closer to the diversity and value of nature and creating acceptance for nature and species protection. She lives in Berlin.