Utah's Nocturnal Animals

Whether or not you believe in ghost stories, there are many creatures in Utah that go bump in the night; namely, nocturnal animals. Here are some of the animals that emerge when the sun goes down.

🦇 Bats

We’d be batty not to include maybe the most notorious nocturnal creatures on this list. We have a whopping 18 species of bats in Utah. Recently, a bat found in Pioneer Park tested positive for rabies, so the Salt Lake County Health Department stressed it’s important to be evaluated if you’ve come in contact with one.

🦨 Skunks

Utah has two species of skunks: the western spotted skunk and the striped skunk. They most often come in contact with humans when seeking food or shelter.

🐿 Flying Squirrels

You’ve seen the common red squirrel running up telephone poles and trees in your neighborhood, but did you know Utah is home to northern flying squirrels? Although they’re hard to spot, they’re actually quite common in our coniferous forests in the mountains.

• Related listening: Why are squirrels taking over the city? [City Cast Salt Lake 🎧]

🦉 Owls

Contrary to popular belief, not all owls are nocturnal. You can usually tell by the eye color what time of day they hunt. Generally, black eyes are strictly night owls, orange eyes hunt at twilight or night, and yellow eyes hunt in the day.

🌙 Learn More About Nocturnal Animals

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is hosting a free photo exhibit of nocturnal animals at the Hardware Wildlife Education Center in Hyrum (about an hour north of Salt Lake City). It’s happening the weekends of Oct. 11-13 and 25-27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.