"All other animals studied engage in at least some sleep every day," added Rattenborg, leader of the Sleep and Flight Group at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany. "If confirmed with recordings of brain activity, this finding will force sleep researchers to reevaluate many of their views about the regulation and function of sleep in general," he continued, mentioning that walruses occupy an "unusual ecological niche," part land and part sea, which could help to explain their surprising sleeping behaviors. Siegel did find that walruses experience "unihemispheric sleep," where one half of the brain sleeps while the other stays active, but since the walruses swam continuously while in water -- even making sharp turns -- this still doesn't explain how they withstand such extended bouts of activity. Walruses might break yet another sleep record: the greatest difference in total sleep time between individuals. That's because some walruses appear to be much bigger sleepyheads than others. Although many successful people brag about dozing for only a few hours each night, sleep time actually varies little among humans in comparison to the more unpredictable snoozing habits of other animals, such as certain marine mammals, elephants and giraffes. Related Links: Guess How Much Sleep These Animals Need |
advertisement
Put Discovery News on Your Site!
|
-
our sites
-
video
mobile
-
shop
-
stay connected
-
corporate
