Elephant Sleeping Habits

 

Elephant Sleeping Habits

Elephants in zoos sleep for 4 – 6 hours a day. However, in their natural surroundings, the elephants rested for only 2 hours and mainly at night. Prof Paul Manger of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, said this makes elephant sleep unique. “Elephants are the shortest sleeping mammal – that seems to be related to their large body size,” Cr. BBC News To find out more about their sleeping habits in the wild, Prof Manger and his research team fitted the scientific equivalent of a fitness tracker under the skin of the animals’ trunks. The device was used to record when the elephants were sleeping. The device’s sensor based on their trunk staying still for five minutes or more. The 2 elephants were also fitted with a gyroscope to assess their sleeping position. Both elephants were followed for 5 weeks, giving new insights into their natural sleep patterns. “We had the idea that elephants should be the shortest sleeping mammal because they’re the largest,” said Prof Manger. “Why this occurs, we’re not really sure. Sleep is one of those really unusual mysteries of biology, that along with eating and reproduction, it’s one of the biological imperatives. We must sleep to survive.” Thank you this useful information from BBC New. Read More About Elephants at our Blog.