Feeling warm and bright

5 animals that live by moonlight

by JoAnna Wendel
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We think of the Sun as the almighty harbinger of life — and while that’s true, the Sun isn’t the only celestial body living things rely on.

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Some plants and animals live their lives according to moonlight.

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Here are 5 plants and animals that need moonlight to survive.

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Once per year on the Great Barrier Reef, corals release sperm and eggs en masse — but only under a full moon.

Only under a full Moon, the Ephedra foeminea plant releases sweet, sticky nectar to attract pollinators to spread its pollen.

Gideon Pisanty (Gidip) / CC BY

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Nocturnal species of dung beetles navigate their surroundings using polarized moonlight.

A full moon acts like an alarm clock for the tropical bird, Barau’s Petrel. Under the light of a full moon, the birds gather to mate.

Maans Booysen/Birding Weto

Even tiny animals like the marine worm Platynereis dumerilii take cues from moonlight. The tiny worms’ reproductive cycle follows the monthly lunar cycle.

Read more amazing animal stories here.