Episode 02
In the last event, I gave an initial idea about sleep. Today I will discuss the rest of the different animals. Have you ever wondered how much zoo animals sleep, or how much forest animals sleep; in fact, these are not our questions.
Read Episode 01
However, at this moment, many people may be interested in the first time. Today I will try to fulfill their interest. Animals’ sleep needs to depend on the length of their brains. In general, the larger the size of an animal’s mind, the higher its need for sleep.
Moreover, the sleeping patterns and techniques of animals also depend on their environment and species. Over time, all animals evolve in their sleep patterns and techniques. Animals that are at risk of being attacked during sleep usually pass on their sleep patterns less to the next generation.
As a result, each new generation of these animals’ sleep patterns is different, based on strategies to protect themselves from predator attacks.
For example, otters living in the water hold each other’s hands while sleeping, or hug each other so that they can stay afloat. The significant otters do more to protect the small otters. Some people, such as sleeping close to a child or a mate in bed, do the same thing as a group of animals.
Such as cows or sheep, so that they can come together and deal with a sudden attack while asleep.
Which Animals Sleep The Most?
Many people think that slow-moving animals sleep the most. This is a misconception. It is not uncommon for the animal to rest less than other animals when the speed is low. A tortoise may sleep about 14 hours a day, but an average dog sleeps about the same amount a day.
Let’s see which animals sleep the most during the day:
- Large hairy Armadillo: 20.4 hours.
- Small rat: 20.1 hours.
- Brown bats: 19. 9 hours.
- North American Opossum: 16 hours.
- Python: 16 hours.
- Nocturnal monkeys: 16 hours.
How Do Mammals Sleep?
There are usually three distinct stages in the sleep of mammals: light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. However, there is a vast difference in the amount of sleep. Horses or giraffes sleep one-sixth of the time.
People fall into the middle ground between these two classes; an average person sleeps five to nine hours a night. Most mammals sleep several times a day. This type of sleep is called more polyphase sleep.
Among primates, monkeys sleep to protect themselves from attackers, although chimpanzees or gorillas prefer to sleep in the bed. They all take up residence in a tree, just like a human bed. These beds help them stay in the trees, Invasion of invading or annoying insects can be avoided.
The sleep patterns of aquatic animals are somewhat different. Such as dolphins or seals. They live in water but move to the surface of the water to breathe. So they are at risk of suffocation while sleeping.
To avoid this, they always sleep with a part of the brain awake. That is, part of the brain is active during sleep so that the animal can see with one eye, breathe, and even move. This type of sleep is called un-hemispheric sleep.
In some cases, dolphins may be floating on the water while asleep. This tendency is called ‘logging.’ According to scientists, some dolphins even fall asleep while swimming in a circle. Another study found that dolphins or un-hemispheric sleep have reached such levels that they can now perform all the complex tasks even while asleep.
Newborn orca whales and their mothers may not sleep for several weeks. Again, sperm whales sleep very upright, and they do not sleep even with a brain alert. Scientists believe that these whales sleep the least among mammals.
How Do Birds Sleep?
As we know, some birds migrate at certain times of the year. During this time, they can fly relentlessly. The length of migration varies from species to species, but some birds have to fly for months.
For example, the migration stage of Alpine Swift is up to 200 days. Some migratory birds, such as aquatic mammals, can sleep with a single brain alert. As a result, they can fly non-stop for a long time.
From a study conducted on frigate birds in the Galapagos Islands, or they stay awake and alert all day long. When they start flying at night, they get a few minutes of light sleep at a time called slow-wave sleep.
At this point, they also have gentle REM sleep, and their head then bends. Of course, this happens only a few times, so that there is no obstacle in their way of flying.
Some birds, such as swine thrush, occasionally take a ‘power nap’ to make up for lost sleep. Again some birds sleep in self-defence as the duck sleeps in a row. Interestingly, even though the ducks in the middle of the row sleep with their eyes closed, the ducks on both sides of the row sleep with one eye open.
This means that the ducks on both sides also sleep un-hemispherically, so that they can always be on guard, and protect their team from potential attackers.
How Is The Fish Sleeping?
When a fish sleeps, it looks exactly like that; it takes time to see such a person while daydreaming. The fish was then seen lying at the bottom of the reservoir without vibration. But after a while, they flutter their wings so that they can stay still and float.
Fish sleep is much more dependent on their environment and the amount of work they do. For example, a fish that lives in an aquarium adjusts its sleep cycle based on the house’s light or building.
Sharks, meanwhile, always have free air circulation in their lungs. So they are forced to swim even in their sleep. This is why they do not close their eyes even while sleeping, nor do they enter REM sleep. An exciting thing has been discovered in the case of zebrafish. This strange type of fish often suffers from insomnia, just like humans.
Scientists forced some fish to sleep less, and then it was found that like insomnia patients, the daily sleep of those fish also decreased. In the case of a fish called a part-fish, jelly-like fluid is secreted from its body during sleep, which protects it.
How Do Reptiles Sleep?
There are many variations in the sleeping nature of reptiles. The sleep cycle that lizards go through lasts only 60 seconds, whereas it is 60 to 100 minutes in humans. A lizard has about 350 sleep cycles a night, where humans have only four to five. Reptiles do not have a cerebrum or guru brain. And scientists have long thought that REM sleep only occurs in highly intelligent animals.
However, a recent study has shown that the Australian Bearded Dragon or REM sleeps. When we sleep, our eyes are closed So that the eyelids can keep our eyes safe and moist.
Meanwhile, snake-like animals have transparent skin, which acts as the eyelids. But since they are light-sensitive, it is not easy to understand whether a snake is asleep or awake. Only when a snake is perfectly straight can anyone else realize that the snake is sleeping.
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