Published 2 years ago • loading... • Updated 2 years ago
Chinstrap penguins nod off more than 10,000 times per day in seconds-long 'microsleeps,' study finds
Chinstrap penguins in an Antarctic breeding colony take 10,000 4-second naps each day to stay alert and protect their eggs and chicks.
The penguins accumulate around 11 hours of sleep by sleeping for only 4 seconds around 10,000 times a day, suggesting that microsleeps have restorative functions.
This discovery challenges the idea that longer, uninterrupted sleep is necessary for all species and highlights the variability of sleep in the animal kingdom.