Interesting Facts on How Animals Sleep

How does the goldfish sleep?” is most likely the most common question parents get from the curious little pet owner. The parent would either use Google for the answer or wait until dark to observe the goldfish’s sleeping habits.  But questions do end with the goldfish as kids would surely come up with new animals to be interested about.  Here’s an earful on some animals’ snoozing styles.

1. Cats and dogs, as well already know, sleep lying down.  Cats can sleep up to 14 hours during the day and spend most of the night roaming around because their night vision allows them to do so.  The same is true for other feline species in the wild like lions.  Their characteristics allow them to hunt at night and it also helps them protect the pride in the dark.
2. Goldfish have no eyelids and it’s why people think they never catch their favourite fish asleep.  Their natural indication of bed time is when the sun has gone down.  In an aquarium, they will sleep when the lights have been turned off.  The goldfish will slow down and appear to be hovering over one spot.  That’s when they’re sleeping.  The goldfish’s colour slightly fades and they appear pale when they’re asleep.  Turning the light on will startle them which means you’ve interrupted their slumber.
3. Snails sleep in varied durations from three hours up to three years.  They simply stop moving and tuck themselves under their shell.  They’re nourished with only water through a unique way of gathering it while they’re in dreamland.  They also hibernate during winter.
4. Horses lock their knees so they can sleep standing up. This “stay apparatus” has the horse’s tendons and ligaments working together to stabilise them in their sleep.   A horse will only have a total of five hours of rest. Two hours of their rest time is spent on light sleep and the other two hours are for their drowsy period.  The remaining hour is spent in deep slumber.  Horses can also sleep lying down if it chooses.
5. A sloth sleeps hanging upside down, the same position it is when eating or simply ‘hanging around’.  They sleep ten hours a day and eat all day long clinging on a tree branch.  It only comes down the tree once a week when it needs to do its business.
6. Dolphins and whales sleep with only half their brain. The other half of their brain stays awake so that they can keep swimming.
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