This is an archive article published on April 13, 2025
6 animals that have unique sleeping patterns
According to BBC Earth, certain somnambulant strategies are based on protection, others on environment or even their particular characteristics. Some are just plain odd.
Do you know whales don't sleep like regular mammals? (Source: Freepik)
Unlike us humans, all animals do not get 8 hours of sleep every night. Aquatic creatures and those in the wild running from predators have adapted their bodies to doze off whenever possible to restore energy and recuperate. According to BBC Earth, certain somnambulant strategies are based on protection, others on environment or even their particular characteristics. Some are just plain odd.
Dolphins shut down half of their brain, which rests, while the other half is alert and looking out for any potential hazards. As they do this, the dolphin will lie on the surface of the water in a behaviour known as ‘logging’.
Advertisement
Sperm Whales
Sperm Whales can be completely asleep and bobb vertically in the water. They remain asleep and can be completely oblivious until nudged, at which point they all awoke and fled.
Elephants
Elephants only manage about two hours of sleep per day, and that’s not even a concentrated block of shuteye. They tend to nod off for a few minutes at a time throughout the day. Possibly because of this, most of their sleeping is done standing up, with just the occasional recumbent slumber.
Koalas studied in zoos were thought to sleep for up to 22 hours a day (Source: Freepik)
Spiders
Certain types of orb-weaving spiders simply don’t bother with this. Their body clocks follow a 17, 18 or 19 hour cycle. Scientists aren’t exactly sure how the spider can even exist with this completely different body clock.
Advertisement
Koalas
Koalas studied in zoos were thought to sleep for up to 22 hours a day, but a more detailed study, looking at animals in the wild too, revealed that they in fact sleep for around 14 hours a day plus a healthy amount of resting on top of that. This because of their diet, which consists of eucalyptus leaves that take a lot of time and energy to digest.
Walrus
Walruses have the ability to sleep just about anywhere, even in the ocean. They have been observed snoozing while floating on the surface, lying on the seabed and even bobbing along while anchored to an ice floe by a tusk, but they can also go for massive amounts of time with no sleep at all. It’s been reported that they are able swim for up to 84 straight hours without a rest.
Do you know whales don't sleep like regular mammals? (Source: Freepik) 
Koalas studied in zoos were thought to sleep for up to 22 hours a day (Source: Freepik)
Share
