The ground is alive with crawling earthworms and insects. You hear the monotonous rasping chirp of the cricket. All night long, the raccoon prowls the shores of streams and ponds, dabbling for crayfish, snails, mussels, frogs and night-feeding fish. So does the mink, who also preys on mice and muskrats. Owls wing silently through the woods, hunting mice.
Skunks nose around, searching for insects, grubs, small snakes and meadow mice.
Foxes trot through the timber and across the field to pounce on mice, rabbits, insects and occasionally a sleeping bird. The possum waddles along, eating anything and everything. The bloodthirsty shrews and weasels kill and kill and kill. Hunger and fear rule the nightlife of the wildlife. Argonne National Laboratory, Division of Educational Programs, Harold Myron, Ph.D., Division Director.