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 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 is based on the 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 sure. Sleep is one of those unusual mysteries of biology, that along with eating and reproduction, it’s one of the biological imperatives.

We must sleep to survive.

Book: https://lantaelephantsanctuary.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lantaelephantsanctuary/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanta_elephant_sanctuary/