The curious world of animal sleep

Animals sleep in methods that may appear unusual to us. Some nap for under seconds, some relaxation with half their mind and others barely sleep in any respect. From cats to penguins to termites, listed below are 10 shocking sleep information within the animal kingdom.

Cats are professionals at snoozing
Cats sleep as much as two-thirds of their lives. They dream, they twitch and typically they even snore. (Source)

Penguins energy nap
Chinstrap penguins go to sleep 1000’s of occasions a day, however just for about 4 seconds at a time. All these tiny microsleeps add as much as greater than 11 hours of sleep per day whereas they guard their nests. (Source)

Elephant seals nap whereas diving
Northern elephant seals get simply two hours of sleep a day at sea. They take quick naps of lower than 20 minutes whereas diving deep underwater, getting into full REM sleep as they drift down under their predators. (Source)

Walruses relaxation half a mind at a time
Walruses can snooze almost 19 hours a day on land. Within the ocean, they expertise “unihemispheric sleep,” the place one half of their mind sleeps whereas the opposite stays lively, letting them swim and sleep directly. (Source)

Spiders could dream
Leaping spiders droop from silk threads and expertise eye actions and twitch their limbs of their sleep, exhibiting indicators of REM. Meaning they could dream, very similar to people. (Source)

Bees want darkish nights
Honey bees want sleep to carry out the “waggle dance,” a communication methodology to share the placement of meals sources with hive mates. Disrupted sleep from an excessive amount of synthetic mild at night time throws off their physique clocks and makes them dance and talk poorly, threatening their function as pollinators. (Source)

Flat-faced canine sleep quite a bit
Breeds like pugs and French and English bulldogs sleep extra as a result of their breed-specific sleep apnea will increase daytime sleepiness. They have an inclination to stay shorter lives than different canine. (Source)

Pandas get “jet lag” in zoos
Pandas in zoos exterior their pure latitude vary can really feel out of sync. Adjustments in daylight and temperature throw off their rhythms, leaving them sluggish. (Source)

Bears hold ticking in hibernation
Even whereas hibernating, grizzly bears’ inner clocks nonetheless run. Their power cycles rise and fall in a day by day rhythm via months of deep sleep. (Source)

Termites don’t sleep like we do
Employee termites have physique clocks that information their exercise, however they don’t have a standard sleep cycle. As a substitute of resting in lengthy stretches like people, they keep lively across the clock, chewing via wooden nonstop. (Source)