Do you sleep as much as a brown bat or as little as a goat?
And how do you know?
Let's figure it out and check which creatures are the most famous sleepyheads, and which
can spend months without rest!
And how about the animal that doesn’t sleep at all! (um, New Yorkers?
Heh heh)
1.
Snails - up to several years.
These slimy shelled critters can slumber for up to 15 hours at a time, falling in and out
of sleep.
After that, a snail can be active for another 30 hours.
But in extreme conditions (when it gets too dry), snails can fall asleep for several years.
2.
Frogs - the whole winter.
Frogs are equipped with some weird animal antifreeze – ice crystals forming under
their skin and in their body cavities don't faze them!
Frogs don't breathe, and their hearts don't beat throughout the cold winter months until
spring comes.
They spend that time sleeping nonstop - well, kind of.
They may have their eyes closed, but they still remain constantly alert.
3.
Pythons – up to 23 hours.
These massive snakes have no eyelids, which makes it difficult to say when they're asleep.
They rarely eat, usually just once a week – the rest of the time they spend digesting
their meals, which requires loads of energy.
That's why it's not unusual for a python to sleep for 18 to 23 hours and wake up only
to take a short evening stroll….er, make that slither.
4.
Koalas - 22 hours.
These cute furballs aren't lazy, they just need a lot of energy to digest their high-fiber
food!
By the way, koalas' favorite sleeping position is either being nestled in a tree fork or
hanging from there.
5.
Little Brown Bat - 20 hours.
Being nocturnal (active at night), these flying microbats snooze upside down for up to 20
hours a day.
By the way, this odd sleeping position makes it easier for them to take off – their wings
are otherwise too weak to lift them up.
6.
Walruses - up to 19 hours.
That’s if they’re deep asleep onshore.
But things are very different when walruses are in the water.
They can go for up to 84 hours without sleep!
From time to time, they hold their breath for 5 minutes or so and catch a quick nap
underwater.
For that, they just bite onto an ice sheet with their teeth so that they don’t drift
away.
7.
Giant Armadillo - 18 hours.
No one would call giant armadillos social creatures.
They spend most of their time sleeping in their burrows.
The only reason armadillos might get together is to keep warm or find a mate.
8.
North American Opossum – also 18 hours.
But the interesting thing is that they can “play possum” for up to 4 hours!
And they’re not really playing – the poor things get so scared, they pass out from shock.
One more thing: even though they’re often pictured hanging by their tails from a tree
branch, only baby opossums can do that.
Adults are too heavy to support their own weight for longer than a couple of minutes.
9.
Owl Monkey (aka Night Monkey) - 17 hours.
These animals sleep 70% of the day, usually from sunrise to sunset.
Only after it gets dark, monkeys get out of their shelters to get some food and don't
stop feeding until the sun is about to rise.
Just like me on my hungry nights...
10.
Tigers - 16 hours.
These mighty predators spend more than 65% of their time slumbering!
They don't think twice when choosing a suitable place for rest: rocks, grass, somewhere near
their prey - anything will do.
11.
Squirrels - 15 hours.
These cute animals look playful and mega-active, but this appearance is partially deceptive.
Most of their time, about 60% of the day, squirrels spend asleep!
Tree squirrels build special nests – called dreys – from twigs, branches, and leaves
and hibernate there.
12.
Cats - 12 to 16 hours.
Even though it might be challenging to catch your sleepy cat in-between its naps, your
feline friend doesn't sleep THAT much.
The trick is that cats prefer being active between dusk and dawn, which is the time you
spend asleep.
So, you just don't cross paths with your pet!
(But you might be scared wide awake by the ruckus they cause at 3AM!)
13.
Frigatebirds - 12 hours or 45 minutes.
When this bird is on land, it has an unusual sleeping pattern.
Frigatebirds sleep for one minute, then wake up only to fall asleep again.
That repeats until these 1-minute naps add up to 12 hours.
But when these birds are flying, they sleep only 45 minutes a day, usually after dark
and in tiny 10-second bursts.
14.
Meerkats - 10 to 12 hours.
When these funny little creatures sleep, they gather together in heaps.
This way, the animals keep warm and protect the leaders, who always rest at the bottom
of the pile.
15.
Otters - 11 hours.
Otters need a lot of sleep, even though it's not always safe for them because of predators.
Plus, they could drift away while napping.
That's why otters often fall asleep on their backs on the water’s surface.
They all hold hands in groups so that nobody gets carried away by the current!
That’s right, they “otter” to hold on to each other…
16.
Sloths - 10 hours.
I know, I know, sloths have a reputation they need to maintain, and rumor has it that they
sleep 15 to 19 hours a day!
That's true about sloths in captivity.
Wild sloths rarely sleep more than 10 hours a day.
Being the slowest mammal in the world, the sloth needs a lot of time to find food and
eat it.
17.
Humans - 6 to 8 hours.
Yep, we spend up to 25 years (1/3!) of our lives switched off.
Not unless you’re a baby – then you’d be up there with tigers in the 16-hour range!
Or you might be a workaholic and find yourself further down on the list.
Hmmm…
Let’s see!
18.
Sheep and goats - 4 hours.
These animals sleep 4 hours a night but not at once.
They take several naps with breaks in between.
When sheep and goats sleep, they huddle together to stay warm and protect themselves.
They also take turns watching for predators.
19.
Ants - 4 to 5 hours.
These insects have lots of 1-minute power naps during the day, which totals to about
5 hours.
The queen, though, can enjoy sleep much longer, for up to 9 hours a day.
Well, she IS royalty after all…
20.
Elephants - 3 to 4 hours.
Elephants are massive, and they have to spend almost 19 hours a day stuffing their bodies
with food.
When they sleep, they do it either standing up, leaning against a tree, or lying down
on their side.
But if they do lie down, they can't stay that way for more than half an hour.
Otherwise, they might crush their innards!
21.
Giraffes - 30 minutes.
Giraffes don't laze around: they only get about half an hour, at most, to avoid predators.
This sleep is divided into several 5-minute naps taken throughout the day.
Being tall, lanky things, giraffes have difficulties finding a comfortable sleeping position.
That's why they usually catch some z's standing up.
But sometimes, they do get down on the ground and curl up in the most adorably awkward limby
ball you’ll ever see.
22.
Whales - 1 hour.
Sperm whales have an amazing sleeping position: they bobble vertically near the water’s
surface.
They have short regular periods of deep sleep that add up to a bit more than 1 hour a day.
These giants don't breathe or move during their naps.
23.
Orca Calves – not until their older!
Baby orcas don't sleep at all during the first weeks or sometimes even months of their lives.
They keep swimming around while their parents are resting.
It keeps them warm and protects them against predators.
24.
Dolphins - never.
Well, kind of.
Dolphins do enter periods of deep sleep called "logging" (mostly because when a dolphin is
in this state, it resembles a log floating on the water).
But even so, dolphins shut down just half of their brain and close only the eye that's
opposite to the powered-down hemisphere.
This way, they're always alert and can watch out for trouble!
Glad I’m not a dolphin…
Whale, I guess I “otter” get some sleep now, but before I go…
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