Giraffes mostly sleep tolerate up as a defense chemical mechanism against predators , keeping them comparatively safe as they sneak in a short Napoleon . However , this is n’t possible during certainsleepstages , and the status giraffe assume to cope with their extraordinarily farsighted necks are , quite frankly , uproarious .
Giraffesare tremendous brute go past heights of 4.8 to 5.5 metre ( 16 to 18 feet ) , but that is n’t enough to keep them safe from Leo . One means in which they ’ve evolve to deal with this terror is by sleeping very little , and in a placement that means they ’re ready to fly if want be .
“ Giraffes do n’t sleep very much at all , they slumber for about 4 hours within a 24 - hour menstruum , ” giraffe custodian at ZSL London Zoo Becca Keefe told IFLScience . “ This slumber occurs in very little salvo lasting about five second . This is because giraffes are a prey species and being asleep for large amounts of time leaves them at a greater risk of predation . ”
Giraffes don’t sleep much, and when they do it’s normally from standing.Image credit: Balamurugan veerabathiran / Shutterstock.com
The same is true of buck who , as fellow hoofed ungulates , mostlysleepon their feet . However , this all changes when these animals progress to rapid eye apparent movement ( REM ) quietus , a phase that was thought to be unique to mammal and birds but has since been find out inspidersand possiblyreptiles .
“ When giraffe do sleep , they sleep tolerate up as this is the safe method . However , they do occasionally sit down to sleep . ” Continued Keefe . “ When giraffes enter REM sleep , which only last about a minute , they sometimes suffer the ability to indorse their own mind . During paradoxical sleep sopor sometimes their psyche rest on their back or occasionally just calm down to one side make a S shape in their neck . ”
That ’s right , giraffes log Z’s by using their own rear - conclusion like pillows to keep their heads in one place while they sneak in some REM sleep . This sleep phase is critical and think to be significant for cementing memories and learning – so for young Giraffa camelopardalis like this wobbly - head newborn , it ’s an of import nap of the day .
Sometimes other giraffe’s butts are a more convenient pillow than your own.Image credit: umat34 / Shutterstock.com
With such staggeringly long necks , it ’s a sight of effort arrest on and off the ground , which is why log Z’s on the base is limited to just one sleep phase . It ’s often said their prospicient necks were an adaptation to reach leafage higher up than competing species , butresearchsuggests that actually there ’s a more fast-growing account for the utmost length .
The ridiculously stubby extinct giraffeDiscokeryx xiezhifought using its headway like a battering ram , and it ’s reckon these struggle strengthen the cervix , make an evolutionary pressure for farseeing cervix . We see this today in flaky giraffe battles , as males get around their heads at each other when vie over a mate .
So , a long neck might make for a fleeting naptime , but it ’s deserving it in the final stage .
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