What Nocturnal Animals Shake When Startled?

September 29, 2011 2:28 PM

What nocturnal animals shake when a light shines on them? Long story short, this is for a project. I have vibrating motors, a photocell, and a microcontroller. So I am trying to come up with a use for these components.

A ghost that shakes when you shine a light on it also crossed my mind, but I would like to use a toy animal if possible.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

posted by helios410 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total)

Can you add some sort of noisemaker? Bushbabies (which are nocturnal) apparently shake when they're distance-calling, and although I know that's not the same thing as an alarm call, it doesn't seem like that much of a stretch.

(Obviously, I am not a primatologist...)

It occurred to me that since fear can make us shake, other primates might share that reaction - but I haven't found anything to support that idea, and I think in us it's a response to sustained fear rather than a startle reaction anyway.

Tribbles tremble, or at least the one I bought did, but they're not nocturnal (or real).
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:14 PM on September 29, 2011

A skunk, primed to spray.
posted by contraption at 3:34 PM on September 29, 2011

A rattlesnake.
posted by hydrophonic at 3:51 PM on September 29, 2011 [1 favorite]

Don't porcupines shake their quills when they're aggravated?
posted by Ys at 5:34 PM on September 29, 2011

A lot of animals will stop shaking when they're startled. Maybe your creature could be shaking (or rummaging through trash) and then get startled and stop?
posted by jander03 at 6:18 PM on September 29, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks for the input everyone. Hydroponic's rattlesnake suggestions seems like the best option to execute.
posted by helios410 at 7:14 PM on September 29, 2011

Spiders often shake their webs when you shine a light on them -- I've done it.
posted by amtho at 8:48 PM on September 29, 2011