A nocturnal house, sometimes called a nocturama,[1] is a building in a zoo or research establishment where nocturnal animals are kept and viewable by the public. The unique feature of buildings of this type is that the lighting within is isolated from the outside and reversed; i.e. it is dark during the day and lit at night. This is to enable visitors and researchers to more conveniently study nocturnal animals during daylight hours.
Internally, a building usually consists of several glass-walled enclosures containing a replica of the animals' normal environments. In the case of burrowing animals, often their tunnels are 'half-glassed' so the animals can be observed while underground.
Notable nocturnal houses
editCurrent
editUSA
edit- Kingdoms of The Night, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (Nebraska)
- Nocturnal Building and Aviary, Columbus Zoo & Aquarium (Ohio)
- Animals of The Night, Memphis Zoo (Tennessee)
- Bat House in Jaguar Jungle, Audubon Zoo (Louisiana)
- Brazos by Night, Cameron Park Zoo (Texas)
- Mouse House, Bronx Zoo (New York)
- Desert's Edge and Clouded leopard Rain Forest, Brookfield Zoo (Illinois)
- Night Hunters, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (Ohio)
Mexico
editUnited Kingdom
edit- Nightlife, ZSL London Zoo
- Fruit Bat Forest, Chester Zoo
Europe
edit- Berlin Zoological Garden
- Frankfurt Zoological Garden
- Moscow Zoo
- Prague Zoo
- Plzen Zoo
- Budapest Zoological and Botanical Garden
Australasia
editIndia
editFormer
editUSA
edit- The Night Exhibit, Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, WA) - closed 2010
References
edit- ^ The Rotarian - Jan 1977 - Page 19 "Although ours is a private zoological organization, we still manage to operate an aquarium, a dolphinarium, a planetarium, a nocturama, a botanical garden, a museum of natural history, a public library, a natural reserve of some 100 hectares ..."
External links
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