The giraffe has one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal.
Giraffes sleep between ten minutes and two hours in a 24-hour period, averaging about 2 hours per day.
Since an adult giraffe would make a good supper for a lion on the African plain, they’ve evolved some very interesting sleep patterns.
When they sleep deeply, it’s only for a few minutes at a time, and even then, they don’t add up to very much.
The rest of the time, giraffes may catnap lightly now and again, but their ears are still perked and listening for predators.
When a giraffe does lie down for resting, it will usually rest its neck on its rump, a log, or some other prop so that its head always stays elevated.
These giraffes are lying down on the job.
Related Posts
-
Why do horses sleep standing up and can they sleep lying down?
Horses can doze standing up and spend more time upright than other animals, but get their deepest rest, the so-called REM sleep, only when lying down. In total relaxation, which rapid eye movement…
-
How Did Dinosaurs Sleep and Did Prehistoric Dinosaurs Sleep Standing Up or Lying Down?
Dinosaurs probably did sleep, though it's all speculation, because scientists don't know enough about their physiology. The speculations are based on their structures and diets and on the habits of the presumably most…
-
How Do Birds Sleep and Why Don’t Birds Fall Off Their Perches When They Sleep?
Birds don't have to work at not falling off their perches when they sleep. Tendons on the bottom of their feet, called flexor tendons, respond to pressure from a branch or other perch…
-
Why Do Babies Sleep So Much and How Fast Do Babies Grow When They Sleep?
One reason babies sleep so much is that human growth factor, made by the pituitary gland, is secreted during sleep in higher concentrations than when the baby is awake. How the body and…
-
Why Is An Hour of Sleep Before Midnight Worth Two Hours of Sleep After Midnight?
It's not true that an hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours of sleep after midnight. Sleep needs are much more complicated than that. The hour of rising is probably much…
-
How Do Birds Sleep Without Falling Out of Trees and Do Birds Sleep Laying Down or Standing Up On Perches?
Birds have a nifty tendon arrangement in their legs which help them sleep when they are perched. The flexor tendon from the muscle in the thigh reaches down over the knee, continues down…
