| aardvark |
a large mammal with a long snout, long ears, a long tail, and with long fur mostly around its legs. Aardvarks are active at night, when they use their powerful claws to dig open ant or termite nests. They catch their food with their long, sticky tongue. Aardvarks live in southern and central Africa. Although they are sometimes called anteaters, aardvarks are not closely related to any other kind of mammal. |
| Arctic Circle |
an imaginary line drawn around the earth parallel to the equator which marks the boundary of the Arctic. North of this line there are periods of continuous night in the winter and continuous day in the summer. |
| aurora australis |
bands of light that appear in the skies at night near the South Pole; southern lights. |
| aurora borealis |
bands of light that appear in the skies at night near the North Pole; northern lights. |
| bat2 |
a small mammal that flies. Bats have small bodies and large wings covered with skin. Most bats eat at night, when they use sound to find and catch flying insects. Bats are found in most parts of the world. There are around one thousand kinds of bats. Their wingspans range from less than two inches to more than five feet. Some kinds of bats live in large colonies that roost in caves or in a section of forest. |
| black |
the color of the night sky; the darkest color. [1/7 definitions] |
| brownie |
a small fairy or elf who is believed to do good things around the house in secret at night. [1/3 definitions] |
| centipede |
a small animal with a narrow body like a worm. A centipede's body is divided into many segments, each having a pair of legs. The front legs have poison claws. Centipedes are a kind of arthropod and are active at night. |
| cockroach |
an insect with a flat body and long antennae that lives in most parts of the world. Some kinds of cockroaches are pests that live in homes and other buildings. All cockroaches are active at night. |
| curfew |
a rule or law that sets a time after which everyone must be off the street and inside for the night. Curfews sometimes apply only to a particular group, such as young people. |
| dark |
night. [1/5 definitions] |
| day |
a unit of time equal to the twenty-four hours included in one day and night. [1/3 definitions] |
| dew |
little drops of water that collect at night on grass, plants, and other cool surfaces. |
| dusk |
the time of day just before night; last moments of twilight. |
| equinox |
either of the two times during the year when the sun's rays are perpendicular to the earth's equator, occurring in March and September. During the equinox, day and night are both 12 hours long all over the world. |
| evening |
relating to or taking place during the early hours of night. [1/2 definitions] |
| firefly |
an insect whose lower body flashes with light at night. A firefly is a kind of beetle. |
| foghorn |
a loud, deep horn on a ship or on the shore, used in fog or at night to give warning signals. |
| good night |
used to say good-bye at night. |
| Halloween |
October 31. Halloween is celebrated by children who dress up in costumes and go from house to house begging for treats or playing tricks. In the Christian calendar, Halloween is the night before All Saints' Day, a festival celebrated by some Christian churches. |
| hamster |
a very small mammal with a round body, short tail, and large pouches in its cheeks. Hamsters are rodents that live in burrows and come out at night to find food. They are often kept as pets or used in scientific experiments. Different kinds of wild hamsters live in Europe, Africa, and Asia. |