How long giraffes sleep

Research in zoos has shown that giraffe go into REM sleep when in this position. Proudly wear your support for GCF! Proceeds from every sale help fund our conservation work in Africa. We promise not to clutter your inbox. You'll receive our news updates once every 2 months. It's the best way to learn about our work and how you can get involved! Like what you're seeing? Please enter email address By submitting email you agree to get Bored Panda newsletter.

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LauraStephenson LauraStephenson. MarkieAsbill MarkieAsbill. Nonetheless, giraffes are never asleep for more than a few minutes in one go. Out in the wild, they have to constantly be on their toes, protecting themselves from predators. After all, lying on the ground, sound asleep would be like offering their lives on a platter to the nearby carnivores.

Yet there are so many prey animals in the wildlife ecosystem. Why is it that giraffes have the shortest sleep cycle? Giraffes are really tall mammals, with 3-meter-long lanky necks. They can run at speeds of up to 38 miles per hour 60 kilometres per hour. Although predators in the wild can run much faster and can easily outrun these animals. How scary is that? Giraffes need to be alert at all times, in order to avoid predation. Their bodies are not really capable of offering the best defense.

But they sure can kick , which can prove to be nasty for the predators. In order to land that fatal kick, though, they need to be upright. The evolution that has taken place, being able to survive without much sleep, is what helps keep the animal safe.

The giraffe has the shortest sleep cycle in the animal kingdom. The elephant follows suit, requiring only two to three hours of fragmented sleep. Other mammals that hardly sleep are deer , sheep , and horses. Do you notice any sort of similarity between these animals? They need to stay alert to protect themselves and their herds from hunters.

Giraffes need a lot of calories to sustain their bodyweight, owing to their massive structure. This is the reason why they spend a good portion of their day, around 16 to 20 hours, actively feeding. Their digestion process is a little different from that of other mammals. Similarly, you may have also heard that bullfrogs never sleep at all.

In , researchers in PLOS Biology point out that notion is mostly based on a study that used a specific definition for sleep. Their real takeaway, and broadly in the current field of animal sleep, is that the resting life of animals and humans still holds plenty of mystery.

We need more observation and studies to probe its depth. Register or Log In. The Magazine Shop. Login Register Stay Curious Subscribe. Planet Earth. Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news. Sign Up.