The giant inhabitants of the ocean are tremblingly guarding the secret of their vacation, but the researchers still managed to find some details.
Whales, dolphins and dolphins are collectively known as cetaceans – mammals that breathe oxygen through special air vents above their heads.
All cetacean species are known to sleep, but the amount of sleep required and sleep behavior vary from species to species. For example, unlike humans, whales and dolphins cannot breathe voluntarily – in fact, they must consciously breathe in and out each time they breathe, even while sleeping. This is due to their surprising behavior during the holidays.
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How do whales sleep?
Whales solved the problem of breathing and sleeping simultaneously with a phenomenon called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep. Scientists solved this mystery when they conducted a series of studies using EEG transplantation on captive whales and dolphins.
They found that one half of the whale’s brain remains active during sleep, while the other half is at rest. Curiously, he even closes one eye while the other stays open and alert. That is, they literally sleep with one eye open. Researchers believe this allows them to breathe, protect themselves from predators, swim and interact with the surrounding ocean while half of their brains rest.
Where do whales sleep?
In the wild, whales tend to sleep horizontally near the water surface.
However, researchers do know that sperm whales can enter a deeper state of sleep when they rest vertically for about 10-15 minutes at a time and drift in groups just below the water’s surface. Scientists discovered that at that moment they were literally not breathing and did not move at all. Although the world’s sperm whales sleep in an upright position, it is estimated that they only spend about 7% of their time sleeping.
It is also known that humpback whales can sleep under the water surface for about half an hour, but cannot rest longer than this time. Researchers have found that during rest, their bodies lose a lot of heat because they are asleep.
How do baby marine mammals sleep?
Researchers have discovered that baby whales can rest by pulling their mothers behind them as they swim – this is called gradual swimming.
At the same time, scientists discovered that mothers and calves of killer whales and bottlenose dolphins never sleep for the first month of their lives and are on the move 24 hours a day. The researchers suggest this is due to the same reason why humpback whales don’t sleep for more than half an hour. Babies don’t have enough fat to keep them warm during long periods of rest, so they need to be constantly on the go.
Meanwhile, scientists have discovered that killer whale cubs can rest just as well as adults just a few months after birth.
Previously Focus he wrote about abduction in the ocean: off the coast of Iceland, a killer whale stole the calf of a round-headed whale.
Source: Focus
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