Sleep is a special physiological state that is necessary to varying degrees for every living organism. The highest representatives of the animal world, people, sleep on average 8 hours in an absolutely safe place from natural disasters. It is much more difficult for animals. Let’s see how different species have to sleep, depending on their habitat conditions and place in the natural food pyramid. Today we have an unusual issue, so do not forget to vote like or dislike, so we will understand if you like such topics.
And we’ll start with the Lion. The king of animals, eats raw meat, which requires the most comfortable conditions of digestion. Therefore, the lion sleeps up to 20 hours a day, in the shade under trees or tall grass. If elephants or hippos “stomp” nearby, for complete peace of mind, he climbs up a tree and falls asleep there, completely relaxing all his muscles. Koala. A beautiful fluffy marsupial creature (not a bear!) can sleep for 22 hours a day. They have an extremely limited diet and little water, so a slow metabolism. 
They sleep on trees in various cozy poses, clinging to the branches with their tenacious claws. Ungulates living in herds Animals constantly have to escape from predators, so it is very important to be constantly on their feet. Therefore, there are only two options to rest: put your head on the croup of a standing member of the herd and take a nap or really sleep lying down. It will be safer and more pleasant, because if one animal is sleeping, everyone is guarding it. Chimpanzee. The “relative” of a person is 98% percent.
They sleep in trees in poses very similar to human ones – on their backs, on their stomachs, curled up or with their upper limbs under their heads. They create individual beds for themselves from branches, leaves and other “improvised materials”. The litter is updated every day. Dolphin. An inhabitant of the sea, to which the saying “sleeps with half an eye” really refers. More precisely – in one eye. Dolphins have a unique feature – to send each hemisphere of the brain to rest separately. 
When one of them turns off for rest, the opposite eye closes. At the same time, the second eye is open, and the other half of the brain is fully functioning. When a dolphin sleeps, it can stay upright in the water column or slowly drift with the current. In captivity, dolphins can sleep at the bottom of the pool, periodically rising to the surface for air. Sharks. Amazing predators that have long been considered animals that do not require sleep.
The problem with sharks is that it must constantly maintain the flow of water through the gills. It is he who gives the predator the oxygen necessary for life. The fish adapted to doze in the current. Although all her sleep possibilities have not yet been studied. Owl. The bird, which used to be classified as an “evil force”, is now called the personification of wisdom and sweetness. Adults sleep sitting on a branch, sometimes causing trembling wrapped during sleep in the opposite direction of the head. 
An amazing feature was found out in owls – they sleep almost like people, lying on their stomach, with their head turned to one side. In childhood, the heads of birds are heavier than the body, so they cannot maintain balance during sleep and lie down. At times, the childhood habit persists into adulthood. Penguins. Amazingly cute northern seabirds. They differ significantly in size and features, but all do not know how to fly.
King penguins sleep standing up, which allows them not to come into contact with the icy surface in harsh habitats. Birds of other species can rest on the waves or on the shore, in complete decline in the literal sense of the word – as happens with Papuan penguins. At the same time, their paws are stretched out straight, and their wings are simply spread out to the sides. If the situation allows, penguins sleep more than 20 hours a day. Storks. Beautiful birds capable of huge flights all the way to Africa. 
Scientists are interested in how storks sleep during such trips? Their amazing assumptions were confirmed. When the individual’s strength decreases significantly, he flies from his place in the jamb to the center and closes his eyes. At this point, the hearing becomes more acute. Hearing the noise of wings from behind and in front, the stork does not lose altitude and direction of flight. Ten minutes of flight in “automatic mode” is enough to restore strength and change places with the next tired member of the pack. Meerkats.
Animals are collectivists. In order to be warm and reliable, they gather in groups of up to 40 individuals and fall asleep in a pre-dug hole. The most valuable kindred leaders are determined in the center, at the bottom. Some of the rest habits of animals seem amazing and cute to people. In fact, they are driven by practical considerations of better nutrition and survival. Nature is a harsh breeder who leaves life only to the strong and able to fight for it.
