How Do Giraffes Sleep?
The giraffe is considered the tallest mammal of all mammals. Its neck and legs are extremely long but it has a short body with small-sized horns. Many fictional tales are famous about giraffes. We often read short stories and novels about how giraffes save themselves from predators. Their ferocity and agility are well described by the authors in their stories.
But do you know their sleeping pattern is also very interesting? You will never come to know at what time they will complete their requirement of sleeping. Unlike giraffes, we require at least 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep to rejuvenate and refresh our bodies for the next day’s work. Without getting proper sleep, we can not imagine enthusiasm and energy in our life.
But giraffes are completely different from us. How they manage their unique sleeping pattern is quite amazing! Let’s read this article to know more about their sleeping habits. Also, know the details about the names of birds of India.
How long can the giraffes sleep?
If you are thinking that giraffes need sleep of at least 4 hours a day. Then, we will tell you that you are wrong.
Giraffes sleep 40 minutes a day. Isn’t it an interesting fact about them? Yes, it is. The time that they spend sleeping is really the shortest one that any mammal can ever spend on their sleeping.
Now, imagine their sleeping cycle. How do they complete this 40 minutes of average sleep in a day? They sleep in fragments. It means that they don’t take sleep for more than 5 minutes at one time. Then, again, they sleep for 5 minutes. In this way, they complete their 40 minutes of sleep per day.
Why do the giraffes sleep so little at one time?
The giant animal giraffe also feels the risk of his life from the predators. To protect themselves from the attack of predators, they keep themselves in an alert position. Therefore, they remain alert while sleeping.
It is said that thraffes can run at the speed of 38 miles per hour to save their lives from predators. But some predators can run faster than giraffes and catch them in the end.
Some more interesting things you will come to know now about the self-defense spirit of giraffes. We all know giraffes as the tallest of all mammals. But do you know, their body is not too strong to win any fight with predators? Their teeth are also not sharp.
Therefore, it becomes very vital for giraffes to keep themselves alert when any predator will attack them. They compromise on their need for sleep. They sleep barely five minutes at one time. In this way, they complete the sleep of 40 utes within 24 hours. But the good thing is that it does not affect their activeness anyhow. They remain ferocious and energetic even though they sleep less.
Another belief that is prevalent about the shortness of sleep in giraffes is their eating habits. It is said that their eating habits are quite different from the eating habits of other mammals. The reason is that after eating a lot of plants, they get the cud in their mouth again. So, after chewing any food at one time, they need to chew the same food again in their mouths. In this way, they digest the food and gain the calories to remain active throughout the day. Due to chewing the food, again and again, they don’t get time to sleep.
How do the baby giraffes sleep?
If we talk about the sleeping pattern of baby giraffes, then we should say that their sleeping pattern is quite different from those of adult giraffes. They sleep carelessly. They don’t have to be cautious to think about the predators as they know that their adults are here to save them from the attack of predators.
Therefore, they lay down and fold their legs inside their bodies. They used their rumps to rest their hands while sleeping. In this way, the baby giraffes get the furry pillows for sleeping.
They sleep for longer periods than adult giraffes as they know that the adult giraffes are watching predators for them.
How do adult giraffes sleep?
It has been found that adult giraffes keep their one eye and ears open when they sleep. In this way, they keep themselves in an alert position because of the other giant animals. When they hear any sound of footsteps, they become alert to save their lives.
When they sleep, they keep their neck in the vertical direction. In this way, they feel extremely relaxed but don’t lose their focus. Though they sleep for five minutes, they always think about the potential threats induringheir sleeping time as well.
Sometimes, the adult giraffes also used their rumps to give rest to their hands. But they feel very vulnerable in this position. Therefore, this position does not last for more than a few minutes.
When do giraffes sleep?
If we compare the sleeping pattern of female giraffes to the sleeping pattern of male giraffes, we find out that their sleeping patterns are different. Female giraffes think about their calves when they sleep. Therefore, taking a sound sleep even for a few moments becomes difficult for them. They keep trying to save their babies by guarding them. But the predators catch them easily.
Adult giraffes prefer the timing of early morning for sleeping. They don’t lie down. They stand upright and sleep in the same position for only fine minutes at one time.
During the night, they prefer to eat the plants and fill their stomach. But for some time, they lie down to sleep.
How do giraffes sleep in zoos?
Giraffes sleep in zoos for 4.5 hours per day. But they sleep barely for a few minutes at one time even though they don’t have the risk of predators there.
Do you know that they also feel stressed? Yes, they feel stressed when they lose their mates and hence, leave sleeping for a few days. Know the most popular dog breeds in India.
