Many animals, like cat’s and dogs adopt the common sleeping position of just laying down. But other animals have some unique and interesting sleeping habits. Some animals such as horses can lock their legs so that they can sleep whilst standing up, this allows them to make a quick escape if a predator comes near. Some birds such as the flamingo can even sleep while balancing on only one leg. It is known that Leopards have excellent balance, these large cats can sleep on a tree limb without falling off. The three toed Sloth also sleeps on a tree limb, usually sleeping in a sitting position, using a tree branch as back support.
Sea Otters offer an alternative balance, they float on the surface of the water whilst sleeping often wrapping themselves in Kelp which is a type of seaweed. The Kelp helps prevent drifting away whilst they are sleeping. The Walrus also floats whilst it sleeps, but it bobs up and down whilst in the water, sleeping in a vertical position. Instead of kelp, the walrus uses ice as an anchor, digging its long tusks into the ice to stay in place while it sleeps. Mallard Duck also sleep on the water, but they tend to sleep in groups of four, floating in a row. Which ever Ducks are on the ends of the row keep one eye open while they sleep allowing them to watch for predators.
Marine Mammals such as Dolphins and Whales have the ability to sleep with only one half of their brain at a time. The other half of their brain remains awake so they can still swim whilst they are sleeping. Tall Giraffes twist around when they lie down to sleep, they curve up their long neck like a pretzel and rest their heads on the ground.
When and Where do they sleep?
Many animals sleep at different times of the day, and like humans many are “Diurnal” so they are more active in the day and then sleep more at night. Other animals are “Nocturnal” so they tend to sleep more during the day then become a lot more active at night. And some animals are “Crepuscular” so are more active at twilight when the sun is setting, or just before dawn when the sun rises.
There are also a variety of places where animals sleep, every single diverse biome the earth supplies, provides a home where many animals can live and sleep. If you are unsure what a biome is, it’s a large region of plants and animals – examples include forests, deserts, grasslands and wetlands. Within these biomes there are many animals, sleeping on land, on and in water, and in trees.
An animal that feels safe enough to do so, generally sleeps out in the open like house cats and dogs can be seen sleeping everywhere. And also a large predator like the lion normally sleeps wherever it wants. But many animals prefer to sleep in a hidden location, giving them shelter from rain, wind, snow and heat and also provides perfect protection from predators. For example, bats may sleep in a cave, birds may sleep in dense shrubbery or in the hole of a tree. A three-toed sloth sleeps high up in the canopy of the rainforest and a fox may sleep in the shelter of a den.
How many hours do animals sleep for?
As the graph above shows animals have a wide range of sleeping times, some animals get their sleep by taking brief naps which made only add up to a few hours of a 24 hour day, whereas others snooze for hours sleeping for over half the day. Many reasons affect how long an animal sleeps. Perhaps the most important factor is its size. In general, smaller animals need more sleep than larger animals. Small bats, chipmunks and opossums all sleep for 15 hours or more per day. In contrast, big elephants, giraffes and horses all sleep for about five hours or less as shown on the chart. Age is another factor that affects the sleep of animals. Like humans, animals may sleep for different lengths of time at different life stages. For example, young animals may need to sleep more than adults.
It truly is amazing how some animals sleep….
