THE ANIMAL kingdom never fails to amaze us with its oddities and peculiarities.
Of these, it wouldn’t be a ‘stretch’ to say giraffes are pretty high up that list. And it seems to be that they also have a rather “convenient” sleeping habit.
With long necks, lanky legs and tongues which seem to have lives of their own, could this be another addition to their cute but peculiar nature?
VERDICT:
TRUE
Just when we think there is no way the animal kingdom can blow us away, it flips us upside down with another fun fact.
Something to keep in mind is that giraffes have one of the shortest sleep requirements of any mammal, snoozing for just a few hours a day.
As a prey species that needs to be on constant high alert, giraffes have evolved to sleep for as little as 30 minutes a day, in the wild.
Because giraffes are vulnerable during the time it would take to get up from lying down, in the wild, they are usually observed sleeping while standing up. This is so they can detect and escape from potential predators.
However, when in safer environments, or in captivity, giraffes have been observed to enter a deeper sleep while lying down - they can sleep up to six hours a day on average.
But instead of sprawling out flat or resting on their rumps as some might claim, giraffes tuck their legs under their bodies and curl their necks around to rest their heads on their rumps.
This incredibly flexible behaviour is, in fact, how the term "giraffe yoga" was coined.
This position serves practical purposes. Firstly, it allows giraffes to quickly rise to their feet if threatened. Secondly, it enables them to keep an eye on their surroundings, even while they're catching up on some much-needed rest.
We all know what happens when we get our spines in a bunch while we sleep, so how do giraffes manage to avoid the issue?
This all comes down to the internal structure of the notorious neck.
Just like we do, a giraffe's neck has seven vertebrae, but with more space between them, each vertebra is coupled with an extremely flexible joint. This allows for a large range of motion in every section of the neck.
So, forget downward-dog, how about we give the turn-about-giraffe a try, next?
References:
https://giraffeconservation.org/facts-about-giraffe/do-giraffe-lie-down/
https://archive.nerdist.com/giraffes-barely-sleep-and-when-they-do-its-on-their-butts/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6t-JoHRzlw&t=9s&ab_channel=CuteAnimalChannel
