Whales are extraordinary animals that have surprised us more than once with their behavior and their undeniable intelligence. But although they represent the largest beings from the depths of the ocean, they are mammals and require oxygen from the atmosphere to survive. That is why one of the most recurring questions about whales is how they sleep. Read on and discover their amazing behaviors.
conscious breathing
While terrestrial mammals are unconscious breathers, that is, we breathe without the mere awareness of doing it, but simply our body does it automatically. Whales and dolphins, for their part, are conscious breathers, which means they must actively decide when to breathe. In this sense, it can be difficult for these animals that live in the depths of the ocean but that need to come to the surface to enrich themselves with oxygen. Whales breathe through the hole in the upper part of their head, it is through it when it comes into contact with the air of the atmosphere, that they obtain the oxygen necessary to live. For this reason, the whales they need to be constantly coming up to the surface to get airan act that could be complicated at bedtime.
Fortunately, these animals are more than adapted to their environment. They have lived in the ocean for millions of years and are well adapted to its requirements. They have some favorite positions for rest, without compromising their oxygenation. Their favorite positions vary depending on the species of whales, but they are usually horizontal or vertical.
Humpback whales, like sperm whales, for example, seem to rest for short periods of 30 minutes. They cannot exceed this time as they need to maintain their body temperature, which drops the longer they remain immobile. Sperm whales prefer the upright position to take their naps, although they spend only 7% of their time asleep. This is the lowest percentage for an animal, it is less than what any animal spends to sleep.
unihemispheric dream
In other species of whales it has been found that they sleep while swimming. There are even species where the mothers do not stop swimming during the first weeks of the calf, to prevent them from sinking. This is because the little ones have not developed enough fat to stay afloat. Although there is also the opposite case, as in humpback whales, where the calves have not developed the balanced buoyancy ability and sleep under their mothers, to prevent them from ending up ascending to the surface.
Jasmine Carey
But of all the qualities of whales and their sleep, it is perhaps their brain activity that is the most impressive. Some species of whales are known to practice what experts call one-hemispheric dream, where one cerebral hemisphere remains awake. These marine mammals maintain activity in half of their brain to keep swimming while they sleep or even to stay alert for possible predators. In other words, half of your brain stays awake to be aware of any problem that arises in the depths.
The way in which whales practice their sleep is one of the most interesting qualities of these large mammals that have been swimming in the depths for millions of years. Whales are amazing in more than one way and little by little we are learning more about them.
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